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It all began with Altaїr flashing big eyes (big-sad-puppy-eyes) over his laptop at him before he asked the magical question Malik waited for since September and since Desmond and Kadar moved out. It was almost November when the dork he was married to finally asked the question and to give him credit Malik never thought he would bear being alone for so long. "Can we get a dog?"Well, they would not get a dog, that was for sure. Malik did not want a dog and he also did not want a cat. He did not want a pet at all and he knew Altaїr also did not want a pet , so Malik did what every responsible husband would do when being confronted with a look like this: he sighed deeply and put his book away to lay his arm around Altaїr's shoulders and dragging him closer to his body. "No, we can't get a dog, stupid." He answered calmly with pressing a chaste kiss to his temple. "You don’t really want a dog and I don’t really want a dog - so no. No doggies for you just because you're lonely."Altaїr opened his mouth in protest but he did not and just let his head drop back against the backrest. It was the truth, Altaїr was lonely and so was Malik. Sure, they had each other and they still loved each other that was not the question, but they were lonely. Altaїr even more so, because he was not used being without his brothers. He missed the noise in the house and taking care of someone that needed him. Altaїr was stubborn, sometimes stupid and wild, but he also was a caring guy. He raised his brothers all by himself before Malik came across and now they were parents without children. What a horrible feeling."I guess I understand now how my parents must've felt when I left for college back then." Malik mumbled after a moment while he nuzzled his nose against Altaїr's head and just breathed in his scent for a moment. Altaїr was freshly showered and smelt like lemongrass and heaven. Of course Ezio would visit them every other day and of course, they would talk to the boys on the phone every now and then and at least Kadar often came home to having his laundry done, but it wasn’t the same. The house suddenly felt too big for the two of them. The house suddenly was too big and too quiet and did not felt like home anymore. Ezio's visitations had lessened in the last months and after a while, they managed to figure out that it was because the guy was dating Leonardo. Altaїr was a little bit jealous when he found out. He was not jealous because he would like Leonardo, but because Ezio suddenly spent his time rather with his boyfriend than with his family.Even for Malik it was way too quiet and lonely in the house and if he would be honest, he had thought of getting a pet too, but he never really looked into it or gave it any second thought, just because it would not be the right thing to do and because getting a pet was not the answer. "You know a pet is no replacement for your brothers or a child." Malik then said and Altaїr nodded a little. He was sad and Malik could not stand seeing him like this. Maybe it was not just that all his brothers finally left the nest."Connor called today." Altaїr finally began talking when he grabbed Malik's Hand that was dangling down his chest. He played a little with his fingers, as he would always do when he did not know what to make of something. Malik only raised an eyebrow at him. Normally Altaїr would be all over the place and rambling about what Connor told him, but not today, so Malik did not need to be a genius to know that something was wrong."He is staying there for another year?" He slowly asked and Altaїr shook his head. Malik's stomach dropped. Had the boy finally decided he would not come back home to the US at all? No. Connor would never do something like this; he would never leave them behind ... right?"He stays for the rest of his studies." Altaїr then croaked. Malik knew his husband was no man to cry about something easily. He had seen him very rarely crying and most definitely not in the last seven to eight years at all. There was no need for tears in their life together and he did not cry now, even though he sounded like he wanted to cry. Connor and Altaїr always had an odd bond. Sure, Desmond was Altaїr's baby (quite literally so), but Connor and Altaїr, as well as Ezio and Altaїr, had their own special bond. He was the calm in the middle of the storm. No matter what happened in all those years, Connor would be calm and one could always go to him with absolutely everything for advice. Connor was something like the conscience of the family, the inner voice that pointed them into the right direction. Malik missed him greatly and having him home during summer was lovely, but even harder it must be for his big brother and the prospect of seeing Connor so little for a few more years was crushing."Don’t worry, he will come home at some point." He promised smiling when he again kissed his temple only to be confronted with a look of disbelieve from the bright amber eyes."But what if he doesn't? What if he meets a girl over there and falls in love and marries her and has a bunch of kids and never ever comes back home?" Of course, Altaїr would worry over something like that although they both knew that Connor only had eyes for Aveline and Aveline was still here in the US."I don’t think Aveline would have any of this. She wouldn’t allow him to wander off with another woman in another country." Malik chuckled a little and nudged him gently in the side. He wanted to pry a smile from his husband because he was the cutest when he smiled. It worked, Altaїr smirked a little at that. Aveline still was not his favorite when it came to dating his baby brother, but she was better than any British girl that could steal Connor away from their family."You better be right." He then sighed and wiggled closer so he could lean against his chest. Malik really loved those lazy afternoons and he would not miss them for anything in the world and although he rather would go back to reading his book and enjoying this closeness with Altaїr. He needed to discuss this with Altaїr. He could not stand seeing him so sad anymore when they both knew what it really was Altaїr wanted."So no doggies and no kitties for you, eaglet." He said again and slowly brushed his fingers through his short brown hair. "But how about a child?"Malik never was the kind of person who really thought about having a child at some point in his life for obvious reasons. First, he was gay and men could not get pregnant (yet), and second it could be quite hard for a gay couple to adopt because authorities rather let those poor children waste away in an orphanage or a not qualified home instead of granting a gay couple that wish. Well, he never thought about having children until he had children. He helped Altaїr raising those boys and it felt like he was being a dad to them and now he missed being a dad. Suddenly there really was that urge in him pushing him into that direction, suddenly he really felt like he wanted and needed a child, a mini-me, a small human for which he could care and provide, which he could raise and love so he would be crushed again when the child would leave the nest as the children before. He was not even ashamed for acknowledging this yearning because he knew he could tell Altaїr and because he knew Altaїr would understand. However, know Altaїr only looked at him with big owlish eyes a little shocked."You do know that you can't buy a child over the internet, right?""Yeah I've heard that'" Malik chuckled softly."So … you want to have a baby?""Maybe.""Well do you or do you not want to have a baby?" Finally, Altaїr sat up straight again and brought a little distance between them, but not because he was disgusted or afraid, but because he wanted to have a better look at Malik, after all, that was not a topic to be made fun of. They were discussing a human life and Altaїr already raised two children (well three with Ezio and four with Kadar, but he raised only one Baby).Malik sighed and turned his body to him, after Altaїr knelt on the sofa facing him. "I thought about it for a long time, to be honest. I think the thought first crossed my mind when Connor left for Britain and it only grew stronger since Kadar and Desmond left. And why the hell shouldn’t we have children? Of course, it would not work as long as the boys lived here but we are alone now, the house is way too big for just the two of us. Why shouldn’t we have kids? We have the money, we have the space and most definitely, we have enough love in our hearts for ten more children if it comes to that. And I guess at least one of us knows how to change diapers."Malik was calm when he said all that and he only slightly folded his arms in front of him to look at Altaїr over his reading glasses as if he was discussing what they were going to have for dinner. "Also I'm tired of cooking too much food because I keep forgetting that we're alone now."Altaїr was silent and he could not really read his eyes when the younger male just stared at him. Perhaps he broke him? Perhaps he should get chocolate and wave it in front of his nose? However, right when Malik was about to snap his fingers in front of his face, Altaїr blinked again. "So you want to have a kid." He said again and Malik could not help but laugh."Yes I want to have a child. Maybe two or three or four?" He grinned a little at his shocked face."Well how about we start slow and just try one first?"-One year had passed since their conversation on the sofa and now they found each other in front of the delivery room of the hospital of Dorchester. The discussion of having a child had not been easy. It was not so much the question of getting a child, but more the question how they would get one. Kids did not grow on trees like apples or cherries for them to pick. At first, there was the question if they should adopt. Altaїr liked that idea greatly at first, simply because there were so many children in orphanages that needed a loving family (kids, who perhaps lived through the same things as he and his brothers did) and Malik agreed with him on that point. However, after they contacted the authorities it had been quite obvious that it would not be so easy for them to adopt. First, those peoples liked to rant on and on about how good they would fit into their system, how great they would be as parents and how impressed they were by their resumes, but then their hearts were crushed again and again. So, a surrogate mother it was.Altaїr did not like that idea and Malik also had a funny feeling because of this whole situation. There was so much that could go wrong! What if she suddenly develops motherly feelings for our child? What if she runs away with it? What if she claims it to be hers? What if she is unhealthy and endangers it? - Those were just a few things Altaїr had come up with and it was exactly the things Malik feared, but then they found a woman that made a really good impression after already having worked as a surrogate-mother many times before.Now here they were.It took a lot effort to keep Altaїr from pacing back and forth in front of the doors to the delivery room. He looked pale and worried his bottom lip constantly and every time Malik stopped him, Ezio began pacing around. The guy already drank five coffees since they got the call from the hospital. It was just a few months ago that they learned they would have twins and although Altaїr had wished for a daughter they would get sons. It was quite funny. First Altaїr had been a little bit disappointed, but then he was embarrassed over himself for it did not really matter what gender their children would have. They were well, that was all that mattered."Did you call Connor?" Sounded a voice behind them and when Malik turned he could see Desmond and Kadar standing in the middle of the hallway and looking a lot like they ran to the hospital. It was quite a way too bridge from Boston University to Dorchester, but Desmond was a bit better in shape than lazy Kadar who looked like he was ready to break down on the floor or close to having a heart-attack."Yes." Malik then said and ruffled through his hair. That call from the hospital startled him when he was at work and he left the office in such a rush he nearly ran his boss over, but his colleagues' jus cheered after the father-to-be. "He said he would rush to the airport and take the first flight to Boston. With luck, he arrives tonight.""I will pick him up." Ezio chimed in before Malik could say anything else. Desmond nodded (not one or two times but more like a nodding dog) before he slumped down on a chair and leaned his head back. Malik still remembered how they told them boys the exiting news after they got the message that the IVF worked and that they were about to become fathers. Of course, the boys had been surprised and a little shocked first but at least four of them had been exited to hear the good news. Desmond had not been jealous. No. he had not been angry. No. he had not been hurt. No. He had been all this at the same time while he tried to appear collected, calm, and failed miserably.
"You … what? You'll get a child?" Ezio exclaimed confused. It was Christmas-eve and they all sat together in the living room to have a lazy pizza dinner and watch cheesy movies before Ezio would annex the sofa as a bed (he could go to Leonardo and sleep at his place, but Christmas-eve was for the family. It had been like that since they were a family and they would keep it like this). Connor sat on the ground between Ezio's legs in a puddle of cushions and nearly dropped his slice of greasy pizza when Malik and Altaїr told them that they were 'pregnant'. Of course Kadar had checked them both first for fever and then for a swell to their bellies. Nothing. And after they explained the whole thing there had been silence.
"Yes we'll get a child." Altaїr replied with a big grin on his stupid face before he grabbed the slice of Pizza that slipped from Ezio's fingers to prevent the sofa cushions from stains and because Ezio did not deserve pizza when he was not able to eat it fast enough. That was the unwritten rule when you are born into a family consistent only of men: the fastest survives the slowest starves. When you have brothers you do not have much time to adore your food, you need to inhale it and steal everything your brothers had not already eaten.
"Wow." Ezio said finally but then he laughed a little. "Well I guess I lost a bet. I was sure you would start getting your own children the day after Kadar and Desmond would leave for college. I never thought you would endure the loneliness more than one month!"
Altaїr made a grimace before he bit in Ezio's pizza and chewed it extra slow in front of him making a small very pleasured moan to annoy him, but Malik only rolled his eyes. "We're not that desperate when we're alone you know?"
"Well obviously you are." Came Desmond's reply. He looked a little bit sour like he bit into a lemon and of course, they had not expected him to make such a commentary. "Obviously, you can't stand being alone with each other for all too long, maybe a child isn't really the best solution for the problems you seem to have with each other."
The room was silent for a long moment and this time, it was Altaїr who nearly let the slice of pizza fall to the ground. He looked a little bit hurt by Desmond's words, but before one of them could say anything, it was Connor who spoke up with his always-calm voice. "Jealousy is an ugly feature Desmond and it doesn’t suit you."
"And how about you shut up, Connor?" Desmond suddenly exclaimed when he stood up from his spot on the ground. "How about you go and leave us again? It seems your father taught you how to do that, right? Just shut your big mouth and go back to England!"
Connor looked ready to explode - a rare sight - but he kept his cool and just shoved pizza in his face, ignoring his little brother fully, while Kadar sat there with his mouth hanging wide open. Desmond just left the room and soon after the front door was shut loudly.
"What's wrong with him?" Kadar finally asked muffled because of the pizza in his still open mouth and Ezio only smirked.
"He is jealous, that’s with him. Connor is right." Ezio said and lovingly placed his stinking, white-socked foot on Connor's head. Connor did not even flinch; he was used to this already. They were brothers and it was a brotherly duty to annoy and disgust the other brothers as much as possible.
"But why? It's not like he is five!"
"He's our baby." Altaїr just replied dryly and shrugged his shoulders, but Malik already knew that his husband felt remorseful for Desmond's reaction to that, so he just finished his slice and turned. "I go and look for him, don’t worry." He just said before he left the room to step into his shoes and walked outside. It was not a big surprise to find Desmond on the porch-roof, his legs dangling down from the edge. He liked high places and he had found him often on the porch roof or the roof itself when the boy got into a fight with one of them or when he just wanted to be alone. For Malik it did not take much effort to climb up the trellis as Desmond always did.
"You know Altaїr will kill you when he finds out that you're smoking, right?" He stated the obvious when he slumped down next to the boy. He knew about that habit of Desmond for quite a while now, but he would not forbid it. Desmond would turn eighteen next March and he was living alone in the big city so who was Malik to tell him what to do? Desmond was a good kid; he did not deserve being lectured or treated any other way.
"And that should concern me why?"
"Because he is your big brother who raised and loved you from the day you were born until you die." Malik just said and shrugged his shoulders. "Because he changed your diapers and dried your tears and fed you and dressed your wounds and held you and cradled you and protected you, that's why you should care what he has to say."
"He will have a new child he can lecture. I am his brother, not his child."
"No you're not." Malik sighed. "He never learned to draw the line when it comes to you. He never learned to make a difference between you as a brother and you as his child, so yeah you're pretty much his kid and with that you'll technically just hurt your mom."
"Would you … not call him my mom?" Desmond replied with a slight grimace but Malik only laughed at this.
"But he is and you know that. Everyone knows that. He wiped your nose when you were sick and he took care you would be dressed nicely and warm and put food in your belly, so get over it, he is your mother and we both know this is not the reason why you're upset. You're upset because he will be a mother for another baby."
"I am not a jealous five-year-old kid, you know? And stop calling him a woman; I don’t think he would like that."
"But it is him who jokes about that." Malik replied and shrugged his shoulders. It was cold outside and the air smelled like it was going to snow tonight and Malik would much rather sit inside with the kids and Altaїr and watch some stupid Christmas movie. "I know you're not a child anymore, Desmond, but even adults can be jealous at times. There really is nothing wrong with being jealous."
"I'm not jealous." Desmond moaned and pushed out his cigarette on the roof. "It's just … I mean … it was always just the four of us and then you and Kadar came and it felt right and it was cool. It felt like we were a real family and now that Kadar and I aren't here any more things are different. I miss you guys, it is hard being alone so suddenly even though Kadar is with me. But I always thought I would just have to get by a few years without you and then I will come back home and all will be as it was before. I know that's dumb … but to hear that you are planning to have children on your own now that we are out of the way feels strange. It feels like we were just some baggage that hindered you two to have the life you wanted."
"Des-"
"And I know it's silly. But I also know my brother sacrificed a lot to raise us - especially me. Yes you're right I am more his child than I am his brother and I know he sacrificed his education and his youth. He never had the chance of being a teenager, to experiencing the stuff a teenager needs to experience. He always carried so much ballast on his shoulders but he never broke down because he could not. I know he was desperate back then and I know he cried when neither of us could see it and I know he suffered all these years. He thought I would never notice, but I know he starved himself so I could eat. He would always say he was not hungry or tired and that he could go on further, but he could not. He was hungry and tired and he couldn’t go on like this. I only understood this when growing up and seeing him as a different man than he was when we were alone. It hurts to hear that he will now have the life he probably always wanted, now that I am out of the way and I am glad on the other hand. As his brother I am happy to see him like that and as his child I am hurt."
Malik knew a dam had been broken and it was for the best to let the little one talk for a moment.
"And to know that it had been my father who inflicted so much pain makes me mad, Malik! It was because of me and my father that Altaїr had to go through so much shit in his life. I wished our mother would have never met this guy-"
"But then there wouldn’t be a Desmond and I don’t think their situation would've been any better, after all I know about your mother. There would have been just another asshole like Bill. Altaїr loves you to death and if he would hear you talking like that he would punch you right in the face."
"I know Malik, but I can't help it."
"It's okay to feel that way munchkin, but please just keep in mind that you are stupid, okay? I don’t think Altaїr would be happier in any way if you would have never been born. We love you and you will always be the baby even when a real baby is around."
There was only a small lopsided grin he got from Desmond.
"Did you catch him during a lecture again?" Ezio asked probably to distract himself from the ongoing birth of his two nephews."No, he was working and I've heard some mugs break and someone cursing at him, it didn’t sound like Haytham." Malik replied slowly. He was nervous too, that was for sure, but he had himself relatively good under control (right now)."Poor puppy I'll bet he will annoy his father and all the people on the plane so much that no one will want to sit next to him." Because his appearance was not already frightening enough for most people that did not know their big pup.They waited hours and hours until the attending physician came to them. The sun was about to set already and Malik got an SMS over an hour ago saying that Connor was on his way from Haytham. He would arrive in Boston soon. Kadar and Desmond sat together on the plastic chairs and at least Kadar looked like he was about to fall asleep while Desmond blinked against his heavy eyelids and Ezio just came back with another cup of coffee (the thirteenth by now), when the Doc arrived with a big smile on his face.It was a wonder Altaїr had not begun biting his nails until now; instead, he just plundered (with Desmond's generous help) the vending machine and absolutely all the chocolate inside. "It is my honor to congratulate you on your two very healthy sons." The man boomed and Malik was quite sure he had seen him a few years ago already. Wasn’t he the intern on duty when he and Ezio were shot? Maybe he was wrong, but it did not matter anyway for Altaїr attacked him immediately with a small hug, which nearly let Malik stumble backwards, before the doctor led the two of them to the room of their surrogate mother. It was only a few moments and only a few feet, but then they were greeted with the two small bundles covered in light blue blankets. Neither of them really had eyes for the mother, but she only smiled wearily at them when the nurse handed the twins over.Malik had held his baby brother when he was born. He had held a newborn before, but it was nothing like holding his own son. The little one in his arms was so tiny a part in his mind was afraid he would break him, but he could not stop himself from smiling when he cradled the child and Altaїr looked pretty much the same. He looked like he was about to run with the babe so nobody could ever take it from him again, when he kissed the little one's forehead gently. It was quite a sight for sore eyes seeing his husband like that. He looked somewhat at peace right now, nothing like he had seen him ever before."Hey there buddy" Malik then whispered softly when he brushed his fingers over the babe's rosy cheek. "How you're doing, Tazim?" He noticed Altaїr's look, but he did not care. They didn’t discuss which twin to call what name, but Malik was sure he held Tazim, he felt like the twin they always called Tazim on the ultrasounds and little Tazim wiggled in his arms like he was about to tell his father what a stupid question he just asked.-"Darim, stop kicking your brother!" Altaїr's voice sounded from the kitchen when Malik came home that evening and already heard the twins fighting in the living room. They would always fight and annoy each other just like their fathers liked to. He stripped his shoes off at the door and hung his jacket at the coat rag before he pushed his head into the living room. Tazim and Darim fought each other without mercy probably over some toy - again."Evening lads, how about you listen to Papa and stop fighting?" The two four-year-old boys immediately stopped and it did not take long until Tazim jumped up from the ground he was wrestling on with his brother before he jumped his dad and Malik had no other choice than picking him up while Darim pouted."Darim kicked me!" Tazim whined."And I am sure you did nothing to deserve being kicked by your brother?" Malik smirked."He pushed me off the swings!" Darim replied with crossed arms."Because he stole my toy!""Because you stole my teddy!""Because-""Let's just say you're quit, okay?""But daaaaad!" Darim moaned and shuffled closer after he got to his feet, but Malik only ruffled through his son's unruly dark brown hair and his thick curls."No Darim, you're quit. I think it's enough for today, okay? Where's Papa?" He knew where Papa was, he had heard him calling from the kitchen, but he needed to distract his infamous son and Darim ran immediately towards the kitchen. Their sons were bundles of energy but Darim was by far the wilder one. "He's making Dinner!"Malik made a slight grimace. Of course Altaїr's cooking had improved over the course of nearly fifteen years, but oh well … it was eatable whatever he produced. He had not expected to see Ezio standing in front of the stove and the smell was heavenly. Pasta all'amatriciana if he smelled right. The boy was sent by the heavens. Ezio only grinned over his shoulder as if he really knew what Malik was thinking, before Malik spotted Altaїr sitting at the table and patiently feeding their newest family member. It was nearly two years ago that Altaїr began again with his puppy eyes and now little Sef sat in is little stool and squealed and giggled while his Papa was spoon feeding him and making faces."I thought today was Connor's turn to help." And help was exactly what his dorky husband needed at the moment after he had managed to break his right foot two weeks ago. Malik greeted the two men in the kitchen before he kissed the crown of Altaїr's head and then Sef, still with Tazim on his arms."He couldn’t make it - work again and Aveline needed him to drive her to the doctors.""Not long and our family won't fit in this house anymore." Malik laughed and watched Darim nagging uncle Ezio to lift him so he could watch him cook."Oh don’t worry, I don’t think she really is pregnant, I think the two idiots just panicked again." Because Connor and Aveline were stupid together and because they already had given false alarm two times before.It was a little bit later that evening when they sat together eating that the front door was opened and closed heavily and only seconds after that a rain soaked Desmond stood in the door and looked pretty much like a beaten puppy. Without a word, Ezio stood and grabbed another plate for the wet boy and Desmond sat down with a small sniff."Lucy?" Malik asked between two bites and only got a little nod from the boy before he shoved again food in his sad face. That was Desmond's way of coping with stress, he ate. After they finished dinner Ezio excused himself to go home to Leo and while Desmond made himself comfortable in the living room so he could later whine about his misery, Malik and Altaїr made it up the stairs. Altaїr tucked the little ones in after observing that they brushed their tooth and putting on the pajamas and Malik took a moment to watch Sef after he laid him down in his small cradle. He was still so tiny and frail. Unlike his two big brothers, Darim and Tazim, Sef slept most of the time and he rarely cried or screamed. It really was funny how much his life changed. He would never have expected himself standing at the door of a nursery watching his third son sleep so many years ago.His heart still beat a little faster every time he looked at his kids. He never thought he could feel such love for such small human beings. It was a whole other kind of love than he felt for Altaїr or any of the boys and sometimes he really was afraid because of this. He caught himself constantly worrying over the smallest things and he felt ridiculous because of it, but at least he knew Altaїr was pretty much the same."Come on love, there is some sad love story waiting for us downstairs." Altaїr's arms wrapped around his waist from behind and he felt his nose nuzzling against his neck, but Malik just chuckled a little bit."And I always thought it would be just Ezio ranting over a broken heart." He grinned. It really had been a surprise finding out about Leonardo and Ezio and the surprise was even bigger that they still were together. "What are we doing about the baby?""The baby can sleep on the couch tonight."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The day was a sunny one, there was not a cloud to be seen and the sun was laughing down on the humans wandering the earth like there was nothing to worry about. It was a warm mid-August afternoon when Altaїr sat down on the bench by the playground and sighed heavily."Having kids is exhausting, right?" Connor chuckled by his side and Altaїr could not help but pat his brother's leg a little. It was a rare occasion that his younger brother found the time to really spend an afternoon like this with him or the kids or really anyone. He was working way too much and way too hard lately and Altaїr did not like it. He was selfish like that. He did not like it when his brothers had no time for him, but of course … they were adults now and they all had their own lives. He did not like it anyway."I suppose." Altaїr replied grinning while he still watched his kids. Having three children was not really easy although he was experienced and knew what to do. After all, he had done it before, right? Moreover, that he could raise a child was obvious by the example sitting beside him. He must have done something right judging by how big and sturdy Connor had become. He missed their little puppy with the big eyes – well the big eyes were still there and he still looked like a puppy. Darim and Tazim were running around the playground and while Darim played the floor is made of lava little Tazim had trouble keeping up with him. "Darim finally reached the phase where he ignores Tazim and treats him like a ghost. Let me tell you: that's exhausting."Connor laughed. "I remember the time when you and Ezio would do the very same thing with me." He nudged his shoulder and Altaїr felt the little sting of remorse with that. Of course, he remembered it too and it was not nice. "You would just acknowledge my existence when I did something wrong and when you wanted to scold me.""You deserved it." Altaїr just said with a small huff. No he did not, but kids were cruel like that and back then he had not known it any better. He had not been a good big brother for Connor when their mother was still around and he knew that pretty well. He had been so angry when Connor was born. He had been jealous when his mother told him he would get yet another little brother. And when she had been pregnant again he was even more angry and jealous and he had taken it out on little Connor who was jealous and sad too. Altaїr really wanted to say his demeanor towards the little one had changed immediately after he ran away the first time or at last when he fall into the frozen pond after saving Connor from it, but that would be a blatant lie. He still mistreated his little brother and he still yelled at him for no particular reason and Connor would still look up with his big puppy eyes at him for he did not understand why his brother was so angry with him. All changed when their mother died and left them alone.Now he knew he loved Connor from the day he was born, just as he loved Desmond right from the start, no matter how jealous and sad he had been, but as a child, such things are not as easy to understand. At least Connor did not hold a grudge against any of his brothers for too long. He was still the good kid."I bet I did." Connor said and made a grimace, something that looked like a beaten and wet and starved and unloved puppy."Awwww" Altaїr grinned. "Don’t be so sad little one, you know your big brother loves you!" And with that, he grabbed Connors head, pulled it (down) and kissed his cheek with a loud smack to annoy him as much as possible before he let go of him again. Connor rubbed his cheek immediately with a slight frown."I'm still amazed that we are all still alive after you caring for us so long." Connor mumbled. "Your food was so horrible. It’s a miracle we didn’t starve.""Oh come on you ate it anyway! As if the English cuisine would be any better than what I cook. I bet Haytham showed you how to cook nasty English stuff, right?""Edward did.""The same." Altaїr chuckled and looked again to the playground when Darim shoved his twin down the jungle gym. He could not help but roll his eyes at those two and remembered one day in the indoor-playground with Desmond. That's Shaun! He pushed me down the jungle gym! And with that, Desmond got himself a new best friend for life. To this day Altaїr did not like Shaun at all. He was still a snotty little brat and he always mistreated his baby brother although Desmond did not seem to mind. Perhaps his little brother was way too nice or Shaun sexually frustrated because Desmond would not get that he liked him. Poor kid."Aren’t you going to tell Darim to stop?" Connor then gestured towards the twins but Altaїr just waved at him dismissively and leaned back a little."Nah it's fine. He would not really hurt Tazim. He just wants to prove that he is the superior twin for being born two minutes ahead of him. It will pass and then they will be inseparable again." Like they had been as toddlers. It had been so fucking cute back then! They would always cuddle together or play nicely with their toys. Although Darim sometimes really was a pain in the ass."Won't you do something about it?" Sounded a low and deep voice just a few feet from the bench and when Altaїr looked up he could see Desmond coming back from his trip to the toilet. He had been afraid to go alone to a public toilet so little Sef needed to go with him to protect his little Uncle – that was the three year olds way to tell the story. In fact it had been the toddler who needed to pee desperately and was way too shy (and way too little) to go alone, so little Uncle Desmond needed to go with him. Sef loved Desmond to death (he loved all his uncles to death, but Desmond held a special place in his heart and of course, that was why Desmond was his guardian)."Nah, it's okay." Altaїr repeated grinning and looked to Sef still standing at Desmond's side and holding his hand. His hair was a little lighter than the other two boys were. It had the same sandy-brown color like Altaїr's and laid in thick little curls on his head and his big brown owlish eyes reminded Altaїr somewhat of Connor."Are you hungry Sef?" The boy shook his head. "Do you want to sit with us a little?" Again, he shook his head. "You want ice-cream?" A little nod. Of course, the boy wanted ice cream. He always wanted ice cream. "But you know that you need to wait a little longer, right? We promised daddy he could come with us and he will be sad if we would go without him." Again little Sef nodded but freed himself from Desmond's hand to stroll back to the playground and play in the sand and with that Desmond took his other side on the bench and sat down with a heavy sigh."Did you talk to Ezio?" Altaїr turned to his youngest brother and Desmond grinned a little. Now that he was older, it was amazing how much they looked alike. Perhaps that was the reason why Sef loved him so much and Altaїr remembered briefly that Darim had been certain for years that they must be twins."Yeah." Desmond grinned before spreading his arms leisurely out on the backrest of the bench and closing his eyes for a moment to enjoy the sun shining in his youthful face. He was twenty-five years and of course, Altaїr had not been so happy to hear that he decided to open his own bar after he left college, but things were looking good for the boy and he was good in what he was doing. "Couldn’t understand a single word on the phone." He then laughed. "Something about a girl, a girl, Desmond! It's a girl! So I believe our brother wanted to tell me he will get a daughter."Nobody could really be angry with Ezio for too long, he was way too charming for that and so it was not that big of a surprise that Leonardo did not really mind Ezio becoming a father. He had not cheated on Leo how he liked to point out all the time, but they had been separate for a few months and during that time Ezio had med Sofia once again and now she was pregnant."Fortune favors fools." Connor chuckled softly and the other two nodded in agreement. It felt nice sitting on that stupid bench with his brothers flanking him and just enjoying the warm summer air and the sun and the children-laughter from the playground. He watched Sef wandering around the sandbox a little and then searching for his big brothers a little lost. Tazim sat pouting on one of the swings and Darim still had fun climbing up the jungle gym after getting rid of his annoying twin."I go and push Tazim." Connor suddenly decided and stood up. They all knew Tazim had troubles getting momentum on the swings and he always needed someone to push him, so no one would hold Connor back when the big guy stood up wand strolled over to his nephew. Of course, some of the other parents watched his brother with caution and that made him a little mad. Sure, he looked a little bit intimidating because of his bulky stature, but he was a friendly giant and he was very careful when it came to the kids. Tazim seemed happy when his uncle gave him that kind of attention and soon the swing were forgotten for Tazim liked to climb on his shoulders and showing him something behind the jungle gym."We need a bigger house." Altaїr sighed. "When we all going to have kids we are too many to spend Christmas-eve in our living room." Because the tradition still stood no matter how crowded the living room became by now."Should I go and make an appointment with the estate agent?" There he was – his very handsome looking husband dressed in one of his best suits after having an exhausting meeting with one of his clients grinning at him. So the meeting went well."You can't sell your house." Desmond demanded. "It's our house; you don’t get to sell it." Easy as that and Altaїr did not really want to sell it anyway, but Malik just laughed at him and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So where are the boys? I was a good boy today and I want ice-cream."With that, Altaїr stood up and Desmond soon followed. Connor came back in sight with Tazim still on his shoulders and discussing something with his uncle leaning forward over his head so he could have a look in his face. When Darim spotted his dad he finally came down from the jungle gym just to run at him (and nearly ran another child over) and tackle Malik like he did every time. Only Sef was missing. Normally Sef would be the first to run towards them when noticing that they wanted to leave. The boy was terribly afraid of getting lost or left behind, but now he was not here."Where's your brother, Darim?" Malik asked softly and brushed through his oldest son's thick dark hair. Darim had nearly black hair just like Tazim and nearly as dark eyes as Malik while Tazim possessed the same blue eyes like Kadar. It was quite easy to tell the twins apart, not only by their eye color but by their hair also. While Darim's hair was messy and a little spikey all the time (because he liked to copy Altaїr's hairstyle a lot) Tazim had the same little curls like Sef."On Uncle Connor's shoulders." He replied with a face that clearly said "What a stupid question, dad! Can't you see?" but Malik just chuckled."The other one. You know the little guy that lives in our house and cries a lot? We called him Sef and you thought he is a sorry replacement for the puppy you wanted.""He is." Darim clarified with a frown. He had been crushed when his parents told him he would get another little brother instead of a doggie. When Sef had been two years old, Darim had really tried to put on a leash and a collar on his little baby brother (wherever he got those things) and tried to walk him outside. Altaїr still had a photo of it while Malik still was angry with him for taking a picture of his son's disgrace. "I don’t know. He is too small I can't keep track of him all the time, dad."Altaїr only sighed. "Well, he can't be far, right?" He smiled before he stepped closer to the playground area and looked around for his little one. "Sef!" He called but no response. "Hey, buddy I thought you wanted ice-cream!" Normally Sef would appear right away from thin air when the magic word would fall, but he did not. No trace of Sef. He could see how Malik and Desmond too looked around and searched for the little guy. Altaїr even poked his head in one of the little playhouses, but there really was no trace of him and he was much too small to really climb yet.Again, there was the day he spent at the indoor-playground with Desmond in his head. Again, there was the feeling of being doused with ice-cold water and again there was panic slowly creeping behind his skin and filling in the gaps between his bones. He was certain to find Sef in the space under one of the playhouses where he hid to annoy them a little, but he was not there."SEF!" He called again, louder this time and startled a bunch of mothers with that who sat nearby chatting with each other. They only looked at him with raised eyebrows and Altaїr knew that look well by now. All those mothers he met in the last seven years always thought him being incapable of caring for a child because he was a man. Because he was a young man. This time, he just flashed them an angry look and kept searching just as the others did."Have you seen my son?" He heard Malik asking one of the women sitting around and saw how he motioned his height and told her how he looked and Desmond did the same thing with another lady watching her kid. Connor already looked pale but he poked his head into the bushes around the playground."Where is he?" Malik finally growled next to him when he moved back to where Altaїr was searching."I don’t know!" he snapped back at him. "Do you think I would search for him if I knew?""But you should have watched him!""I DID WATCH HIM!" By now, they both panicked, by now they both forgot where they were and that they should not yell at each other in the middle of the playground and more importantly not in front of their kids."WELL YOU HAVEN'T DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB THEN!" Malik yelled back his eyes filled with fury and horror by the sheer imagery of having lost one of his children just because his stupid husband had not watched him. Altaїr's brain on the other hand was already filled with the horrific possibilities of his son getting abducted by some pervert creeping in the bushes or that he ran away because he thought his papa would not find interest in him or because he had not got his ice cream right away. What if he ran away and had been hit by a car? What if he got lost? What if someone grabbed him and was miles away already?"PERHAPS YOU SHOULD COME DOWN YOUR HIGH HORSE AND SPENT MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY THEN!""Guys, would you please stop this?" Desmond. Of course him. Of course, it would be Desmond getting between them while they just snarled at each other in anger and rage. It would not be the first time they yelled at each other like that and it would not be the first time they would say something during an argument that they would regret later.Altaїr just threw his hands in the air in exasperation and took a few steps back. He noticed only vaguely how Darim looked at him. He was afraid. He was always afraid when they would argue. Of course, he was. He was surrounded by children of divorce where the parents kept fighting and fighting and fighting and he did not want that. Altaїr just turned around and went to the small path leading away from the playground."Where are you going?" Malik called after him."I search for our son you moron!" Altaїr answered and normally would have flipped him off, but he did not. There were children around and by the time he left the playground, he was already jogging. What if he needed to pee again and didn’t want to ask Desmond again? He was such a shy little guy and he did not like asking something or speaking that much. Therefore, Altaїr went for the public toilets, but there was no trace of him just a few irritated men looking at him when he barged in and looked under the bathroom stalls. He really did not care all that much for the penises he got to see this way because his son was not there! He even poked his head into the women's lavatory and yelled for the little guy but only got shouted at.Altaїr was desperate and his eyes burning when he turned around again and looked at the people in the park (most of them looked at him as if he was insane). He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He really liked to cry. He liked to break down right here and now in front of the public toilets and bawl his eyes out because he managed to lose his precious little baby boy. He knew his face was pale from the fear, he knew he must look terrible and sick, but he staggered forward although he liked to throw up. "Have you seen my son?" He turned to an old lady and grabbed his phone with shaking fingers from his right front pocket to show her a picture of his little one, but then finally there was a little voice behind him."Papa?"He would recognize his baby's voice under a thousand just as he would recognize Ezio's laughter under a thousand. The woman looked puzzled at him but then gently smiled a bit at the sight of the horrified young father in front of her. Altaїr used this small moment to brace himself, to take a deep breath and rub over his face again, before he turned around with a smile and crouched down in front of his little one. Sef just stood there at the hand of a young woman and looked puzzled at his father, before he slowly parted from the woman's side and threw himself into his arms. He could feel that he was not the only one of them both who was afraid and Altaїr really needed to be cautious so he would not crush the little man, when he hugged him close and finally picked him up."He was wandering around near the ice-cream-stand." The woman smiled and Altaїr mouthed a silent thanks to her because he could not really speak right then and there without his voice cracking. Relieve flooded his mind and forbid to feel anything else than relieve and joy. He could feel Sef's little fingers curling into the fabric of his T-Shirt and his little nose nuzzling against his neck as if he was still his baby. Well, he was. He would always be, just like Desmond."I'm sorry, papa." The little one choked and it was just now that he noticed Sef was crying. He was crying a lot and often for no apparent reason but now, he was crying because he thought his papa was angry with him and because he was relieved that he did not get lost and that he was back in his father's arms were he belonged. Altaїr missed the time when he still could carry him around bundled up in a baby-sling so he knew he were save. "Are you angry?"Altaїr could not help but smile a little and press a small kiss to his son's head, one arm under his bottom to support him and the other hand pressed to his back to hold him close, before he nuzzled his nose in his soft curls and breathed in the scent of his child. "I am not." He then answered softly. "But don’t disappear ever again."
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There was this thing with having children. They cry. They scream. They cry and scream a lot. Do you want to know what else they are? They are hungry a lot and they cannot use the toilet by themselves so they need you to change their diapers a lot. They also cannot just go to McDonalds or Burger King and get themselves something to eat, no; you need to make them something. You need to feed them. Especially during the night, you need to get your ass out of the warm bed and feed them because children liked to cry and scream and be hungry and having their diapers full a lot at night. Not all children of course, but their children. Of course.Malik already lost count how many times he raised from his slumber during this particular night because of the small cry coming through the baby phone. Next to him Altaїr produced a low whining-noise and kicked him against the shin, mumbling something like "your turn" before he pulled the blanket over his head. It was going on and on and on like this for six months now. At first, the little ones were peaceful and not so hard to handle, but at some point, they decided to let their parents feel their whole potential, because they learned they would come to their aid as soon as they would start screaming.Malik tried not to look at his alarm clock to spare himself the knowledge of when it would be the time to go to work, but he did it anyway. It was 4 AM. Of course, it was 4 AM. Because at 5 AM they would start screaming again and at six he would need to get up anyway. Malik stumbled with a desperate yawn out of the bedroom. Six months ago, he never stumbled out of any kind of room (well he sometimes stumbled after one of the especially long nights with Altaїr, but that was another kind of stumbling). By now, they reached the point where neither of them could recognize themselves in the mirror anymore. He needed a shave and so did Altaїr, they needed to get their hair cut again, his casual clothes were full of stains that won't come off, the dark rings under his eyes were so impressive that his coworkers looked pitiful at him whenever he fell asleep standing in front of the coffee-machine in the office. He was a living mess and so was his husband. Malik often came home just to find Altaїr sitting at the kitchen table sleeping like dead with his face in a bowl of something to eat or lying face down in the laundry that he attempted to fold.Ezio's visitation had lessened by now (at least the ones where he stayed the night), but every time Desmond would visit, Altaїr would pull his baby brother in a tight bone crashing hug, would kiss his head over and over again and mumble something like "why can't they be more like you?". Malik did not know if he should laugh or cry at times. Yes, they knew what they were getting themselves into when they planned on having children and yes, they loved them dearly, but he had not expected it to be so hard at times.Malik had no clue whatsoever how he managed to wander across the hallway and entered the nursery (Connor's former room). There still was some of the furniture he build with the kid from the wood they found during their trips into the nature and Malik would keep them and hope that at least one of his sons would also find interest in nature and all this stuff now that Connor was miles away from home for at least a few years to come. He opened the door slowly and quietly although one of the twins was obviously wide-awake and crying like mad.Darim was lying in his cradle kicking his legs and wiggling like a little worm. Malik hurried to his side to soothe him before he could wake up his brother who was sleeping peacefully (for now). The twins like to take turns when it came to waking up their parents and sometimes Malik felt like they planned all of this during the day, the little monsters. Perhaps they liked seeing their parents exhausted like this. "What's wrong, Darim?" He mumbled with a small slur to his words when he picked the little devil up so he could cradle him in his arms. He lost his pacifier (again) but at least his diapers felt dry and Altaїr fed him an hour ago the last time. He could not be hungry. Well he could. Darim was always hungry. He stopped crying as soon as Malik pushed his pacifier back into his little mouth and petted his back gently. The infant relaxed immediately in his arms when Malik placed a few small kisses to the crown of his head. "Better now?" He sighed and listened to the small smacking noises Darim made while he sucked at his pacifier. Cute little bastard. Malik could not be angry with him or his brother. "Do you want to sleep in the big bed again?" Of course, he would not get an answer but he saw how the little one closed his eyes and nuzzled closer. That was a yes. It was quite unfair to just take Darim, but Tazim was sound asleep and he could not carry them both.Just for a moment, Malik glanced in Tazim's cradle and brushed his fingers through his curls. His forehead felt a little warm, but it was nothing to worry about, so he left the room and closed the door again to stagger back to the bedroom with Darim.In the beginning, he had been afraid to have one of the kids in their bed, because they were so tiny and he was afraid of crushing them or smothering them, but Altaїr soon comforted him and told him that his instincts would not let something like this happen. He must know it, because he slept often with baby Desmond in his bed when he was still a child himself. Malik trusted him and it felt nice having their kids between them, listening to them breath and knowing they were save. Other than this, it meant hopefully two hours of sleep for him.Altaїr was already asleep again when he entered the bedroom and crawled into bed to place Darim between them and curled one arm around the now sleeping baby. Sleep took him in its arms immediately when his head hit the pillow."Wow you really look like shit."There was no word that could describe how much Malik wanted to slap Ezio in the mouth for this stupid and unnecessary commentary. Instead of using violence he raised his brows and made a thin (very thin) line with his lips, while Altaїr grinned at his brother (he didn’t really grin, he showed him his teeth but he tried to let it look like a grin) while he kept pouring sugar in his coffee."Wasn’t that good of an idea having children, was it?" The Italian laughed and nudged his brother's shoulder before he sipped on his coffee."Is it still considered child abuse when I punch him? I mean he is twenty-six … He is no child right? I can hit him and get away with it, right?" Altaїr asked and his eyes were full of yearning and hope to punch his brother when he looked at Malik, but he only shrugged his shoulders tiredly. "I don’t think this would change anything, love, other than losing a babysitter.""For what do you need a babysitter?" Ezio laughed. "Your life as a couple is officially over."Well that was not true. However, of course they were way too tired of having sex since the birth of the little ones anyway. Nowadays when they were getting romantic with each other it meant they would hide under a lot of blankets and pillows and went to bed as early as 8 PM to try and sleep snuggled up in a cocoon of warmth. He liked that. He liked that a lot. He liked having Altaїr so close in their secret pillow fort every time they could and enjoy the peace of having his husband by his side. Of course, he missed the sex, but they would go back to their old patterns eventually someday … hopefully.Last time he tried Altaїr fell asleep in the middle of it – standing under the shower. It was kinda cute and Malik understood, because he felt the very same way and he was often glad that he could escape to the office again. The first five months he spent at home to help, but now he needed to go back to work (he did not need to because he was rich as fuck, but he wanted). Altaїr as a freelancer had the privilege of being home with their kids. He would say it was a curse, but he would get to see things Malik would miss while at work. He would perhaps hear their first words and see how they started crawling and later walking and Malik would sit in his office and miss it."I hate you so much." Altaїr only murmured before he started gulping down his way too hot and way too sweet coffee like it was water. Then he leant his head against Malik's shoulder. "I am so fucking tired." He whined and then there it was again, that sweet, lovely, and very much missed cry from the nursery through the baby phone. "Noooooooo … not again…"Malik kissed his head but when he tried to stand up, Ezio smiled at him and raised his hand. "It's my turn. Drink your coffee." He just chuckled when he left the living room and Malik heard Altaїr just mumble something like "you're an angel" by his shoulder. He could see that his eyes were closed already and his left hand lied lifeless on the sofa cushion next to his hip. He would fall asleep any minute now that was for sure. They were together for ten years and by now Malik knew his husband well enough to know how he looked like when he was about to fall asleep.Slowly he sipped on his coffee and closed his left arm around Altaїr's shoulders before he leant his head on top of Altaїr's. He wanted to relax just for a moment. He wanted to close his eyes just for a second. Malik did not even notice that he fell asleep, his coffee mug still in his right hand, his husband still in his left arm.-There was a thing about having children. They cry, they scream, they need their diapers changed constantly and they are always (always) hungry and it is your job as a parent to provide for them. If your kids scream and cry every night for hours and hours because they are getting their first teeth and are in pain you get your ass out of the bed and soothe them. When they are sick and cry because they cannot sleep, you take them into your arms and care for them. When they cannot sleep because of a bad dream, you grab them and hold them as close as humanly possible. When they are afraid because of the monster under their bed, you take a baseball bat and shoo the monsters away. That is your duty as a parent – as a father.As a husband, it is your duty to run home whenever your husband or wife messages you that they are not well and need help.Malik really was not in his best mood this day. The morning started promising with Altaїr's body under the shower and a steam dusted mirror in their bathroom while he planted soft kisses on his neck and brushed his fingers down his sides and hips and felt the wet skin under his fingertips and with the soft but pleasured moan that escaped the younger male when he leant with his face against the cold tiles of the shower. They got up early this morning so they could have a little private time before the kids would get up too and demand their attention.Altaїr's body felt greedy under his fingers and in absolute need to be conquered again. It was always a risky business having sex when they were nosy children in the house. Every single time they tried to have sex one of the kids would storm into the room because of a night terror and they really could not bring them to Ezio and Leo every time they wanted to fuck. By now, they only had these very early mornings in the shower and the quickies in the car (which was quite uncomfortable because they could not use the backseat for there were child car seats) and one of them would always have some bruises afterwards but it was worth it. One time Malik grabbed him when Altaїr was doing the laundry in the basement and pushed him onto the dryer because of the noise and because the little ones were still too much afraid to go downstairs into the basement.They had become much more creative since they were parents - that was for sure, but in the exact moment when Malik wanted to push in to be surrounded by the man in front of him, there was a small knock at the bathroom door before it slowly opened. "Daddy?" Malik wanted to cry and scream in desperation, but he did not. He could not. Tazim's small voice was way too cute."What's wrong Tazim?" He managed to shout over the noise of the running water."Darim hurt his head."And with that, all the sexual tension fell from them and they were faster out of the shower and covered with towels than anyone would have ever expected them too."How's Darim?" Rauf asked with a small grin when he sat down next to Malik in the office, but Malik only sighed. Of course, he told his best friend about the incident in the morning. Darim had bounced on his bed (again) and fell down to hit his head on his nightstand (again)."He is okay. I think his skull is made of steel." He smirked. "I don’t even know how many times he already hit his head since he turned three." Now the boy was four years old and it was a miracle that he was still alive. He already broke his arm twice, cracked his head open three times, bruised his ankle five times and kept falling down the stairs. He was a catastrophe walking around on two very short legs. "It's a miracle no one called child protective services until now."Rauf laughed and patted his back gently. "Well he is a little boy, what did you expect?""Tazim isn’t like that." Malik chuckled. "Tazim likes to sit with me and read or help us with something and when he plays he does it quietly.""Yes I know he is the angel-twin.""He is!" Malik yawned and rubbed over his sleep-deprived face. "Well he is until Darim comes around to fight with him or incite him to do stupid stuff. But that is alright. By now we are used to them being stupid and careless.""And how's Altaїr?" Rauf grinned. Of course, Malik had not told him in detail about the morning. He just said they were interrupted having sex by Darim's accident."He is a little sick and Sef too, but Ezio took care of dropping the kids of at kindergarten and will pick them up later again. It's nice having him close by in case of emergency." Although Ezio liked to come over no matter if there really was an emergency so he could play with the kids and avoid doing his chores at home.The kids loved Uncle Ezio and Uncle Leonardo's place. There was a lot to see and to learn and Leonardo as a teacher was always eager to teach and sharpen their little minds. They were blessed having a family like theirs with so many different characters and personalities. His kids would profit greatly from their uncles and not only in materialistic ways. Every one of them could teach them something different and important for their lives and they would always have their backs covered by an army of Uncles when something was wrong."Kadar wrote me a letter yesterday, Rauf. Can you believe that?" Malik then chuckled. "Like a real letter, with paper and ink and I believe he used a real fountain pen. I really have no clue what's gotten into him lately.""Well he is an adult now." Rauf said and his face told he did not believe himself this blatant lie."You know my brother Rauf. If he begins using a fountain pen and writing letters on paper you know that there is something going on." He was interrupted by his phone going off on his desk. The message was short but urgent, when Malik opened it."Really sick. Sef has fever. Me too. Please come home." Because who needs whole sentences with correct grammar and all that ridiculous stuff? Altaїr was no one to whine about being sick and so Malik's reaction was immediate when he stood up and grabbed his coat."Where are you going?" Rauf called after him when Malik was already at the door of his office."Tell the boss I needed to go home." He just said and knew he would regret it tomorrow. He would not get fired, his boss was a nice guy and he understood such things, but he would get a scolding because he did not say why he left.He never managed to get home so fast before and when he arrived, he jumped out of his car to raid his home. Of course, Darim and Tazim were still in Kindergarten and Ezio was at work just like Leonardo so no one was here to help other than him. It was kind of ridiculous how alarmed he was because of a cold and a fever, but it was not just Altaїr who had a cold and fever it was also his baby boy and that was something he really was alarmed about. Sef was a fragile little thing and often sick so it was only natural for him to be worried.He expected to find them in the living room but they were not there so he ran upstairs and in the bedroom, he found the two of them. Altaїr slept like dead, curled up in his blanket and little Sef in his arms. It was a very cute sight and normally Malik would not have wasted the time and took a photo of it, but not now.Now he stepped closer to the bed and felt their foreheads. They really were hot, but Altaїr opened his fogged amber-eyes when he noticed Malik's presence. He could not help but smile and brush through his hair after he sat down beside him. "You have me worried." He whispered quietly and kissed his forehead, but Altaїr only grinned a little and closed his eyes again.Sleep was exactly what he needed. Sleep was exactly what Malik needed. Since he had become a father, he felt like his mind always centered on the thought of sleep. Therefore, he stripped of his shoes, pulled off his coat and crawled behind Altaїr to drag him against his chest a little. They had three more hours before the kids would come home. Three hours to sleep.
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Water. Water always was something Altaїr not only resented but feared. Water was this mystical force that was able to kill him and held nothing but repressed memories - memories of darker times and the feeling of drowning without really anyone who could help him. There was this one time when his baby brother Connor nearly fell into a frozen pond or the day Bill Miles dragged him so brutally by his frail wrist through the house and into the backyard to hose him like a dog that he had bruises on his pale skin for nearly two weeks - those were the memories coming up every time he was confronted with Water. But, no matter how fearful he was towards water, the sound of rain always had something soothing to him, just like the sound of the ocean waves crushing onto the small beach lying secluded beneath the cliffs around.Altaїr hid under their parasol lying as lazy as he could on his front on a towel in the sand and tried to relax while listening to the soothing play of the waves hitting the shore. Relaxing wasn’t all that easy with a two year old playing right beside him in the sand. Sef, only wearing his trusty diapers here on the beach and enjoying his partially nakedness very much, finally recognized his new found ability to bury his father in sand while they would be at the beach, so by now Altaїr was already buried to the knees and his towel ruined. He didn’t really care. Malik would. Well, he would take the punishment like a real man and then make a guilty face while Malik would try to free this thing from the sand (again). It was worth it for it made Sef giggle by his side until the little one finally had enough and crawled to him into the shade. "Papa hot." The little one mumbled already sounding as sleepy as Altaїr felt lying there like a sloth. After moment when he did nothing Sef grew impatient with him and grabbed his hand with his much smaller one just to pull a little on his long fingers. "Papa hot." The boy repeated sleepily. "Sef sleepy."Finally Altaїr pried one eye open just to flash him a lopsided grin. "Papa sleepy too." He just grinned before he grabbed the little guy while turning to his side to bury the squirming, giggling child into his arms with no escape before he started tickling his sides mercilessly (very well aware that he could e punished for that with a soiled diaper any minute now)."Well then, I guess it is about time to call child protection services." Malik's deep voice rumbled from beyond the shadow of the fortress and blocked the small ray of sunlight that had blinded Altaїr a little bit, now that he was far more exposed to the sun than before. There he stood, tall, tanned and only wearing his new black swimsuit Altaїr found the most appealing - looking extremely like something very delicious Altaїr wanted to devour. "Can you two explain the towel?" He asked with one raised brow and crossed arms."Papa hot." Sef exclaimed again and Altaїr could not help but laugh - not so much because of the little guy's words but more because the way Malik's face changed at this ever so delicately. It was priceless, half frowning, half grinning - the endless fight of a man that should scold them for ruining the towel (again) against a man who just wanted to laugh at the bluntness and innocence of his baby boy."Yes Papa is very hot." Malik then chuckled (losing his fight against the frowning half of his soul) and crouched down beside them just to pinch Altaїr's side to make him squirm a little. "But that doesn't explain the sand on the towel.""The good towel, Malik, the good towel." Altaїr added helpfully with a playful smirk to his amber-eyes very well aware that his husband not often found the strength to resist this look."Smartass." Seeing his youngest son squirm in his arms let Altaїr nearly feel something like pity for the boy. But then again, no. He brought that upon himself. "You know this would be the right moment for me to teach you how to swim.""Yes. It would be. But I think I'll pass. You heard your son: I am hot, just imagine all those people around seeing how hot I am." Finally Altair found the mercy in him to sit up with Sef in his arms but not without smooching the poor child in his arm with all the cruelty only a father could execute. In Malik's dark eyes he could only see disbelieve and the first signs of defeat. "Our sons will laugh at you one day, you know? Darim won't even come out of the water anymore and Tazim at least tried to learn how to swim."But Altaїr only rolled his eyes – mainly because he knew Malik hated this. "Yeah, yeah I've heard this a million times before. I don’t want to go into the water. I've never learned it and my brothers are all very much alive without me running to their rescue every time they nearly drowned.""Which they didn’t because they are all able to swim.""Indeed they are. And Connor also climbs trees - wherever he got that from. Do you see me climbing an apple tree? Where are the boys anyway?"They planned it as a nice relaxing and quiet little summer vacation, instead Altaїr's brothers and Kadar invited themselves to join their trip to the beach. They planned on staying a few days and then travel a bit farther into the north and into the mountains. It was already their third day in this small town by the sea and Altaїr absolutely loved it. Their cottage was high on top of the cliffs surrounding this little bay and allowed them a marvelous look over the ocean from nearly every window and although it was somewhat like camping with his brothers all over the place it felt nice and really like a vacation. He could even see their current home from his fortress in the sand. It wasn’t really big from the outside, for they originally booked only for their little family, but it was definitely larger on the inside and the boys had no real problem camping in the living room.The house itself was something Altaїr could remember his mother dreaming about. She often told him about her wishes of having a cottage like this with a white façade towering over the ocean, when he was sitting in her lap long before Connor was even a glimmer in his parent's eyes. She would have loved this place, the white façade of the cottage, the large rooms on the ground floor and the little corners every here and there all over the place, perfect to play hide and seek on rainy days. Inside it was cozy and the furniture old but very well maintained. The wood of the chairs and tables freshly polished and smelling deliciously like pinewood, the rugs cleaned before they moved in."Kadar and Desmond are over there playing beach volleyball with some chicks. I think Desmond tries to forget Lucy a little and Kadar tries to develop a thicker skin. Ezio is probably somewhere where he can drink a lot and Connor is right now learning how to surf, while you, Mister, just lay around like a lazy pig all day." Gently – very gently - Malik nudged his side with his bare foot, careful not to hit Sef in any way at all."You should be glad. I am doing this for you, dearest husband." Altaїr grinned and gestured at his body and his new acquired tan. "I am just trying to look sexy for you." And again all he got from Malik was a grimace of disbelieve, but Altaїr didn't care so much. "Where are the twins?""Playing over there in the sand, building a sandcastle - Well, no, their third sandcastle today. See? Even our five year old twins are more productive than their lazy sluggish papa.""They're six…""I know. I just wanted to test you and see if the sun already melted away all that was left of your brain." Malik then laughed but Altaїr only huffed in response."Okay, here's the deal. You take this little guy here and go feed him and I help Darim and Tazim build another sandcastle.""And you'll clean the towel later, deary.""Of course I will, love." With that he flashed Malik the sweetest smile he was able to smile, but after all those years Malik didn’t really believe that bullshit. Not that he ever did. "But you know technically I didn’t make the mess. It was your son trying to murder me in cold blood with burying me alive." He could feel Sef's big eyes on him. Of course he didn’t yet understand fully what his parents were talking, but he could recognize when his father tried to blame him for anything and he was not amused at all by that. It was already enough when Darim would make a mess in the kitchen and simply put the baby next to it so Sef would be blamed for the chaos."Maybe he did, but you didn't fight back, so it's your fault too. And know give me the baby and then move your lazy ass."Altaїr would rather cuddle a little with Sef in the shade and not move at all, but it was about time for the child to leave the sun and the warmth anyway. He needed to be fed and probably a new diaper as soon as the boy would enter their cottage and he already took his little nap with Altaїr huddled in the shade of their parasol twice today. Altaїr was careful when it came to the sun and the summer heat on the beach with his boys, but for now he considered himself to have made a good job. No sunstrokes and no sunburns yet, but healthy, happy kids with sand sticking absolutely everywhere on their bodies. What else could a parent wish for? Well of course technically there had been a sunstroke already, but at least none of his kids where the concerned party and for that it didn’t count. It had been Ezio moaning and whining during the last day, lying around in the living room not able to move with exception of the times when he ran panicked to the toilet. Well he learned his lesson, for now Altaїr hadn't seen his brother running around like Adonis himself in the sun trying to look as deliciously as humanly possible just too gently brush off all the women running after him saying he was already attached to someone.After Malik collected their son from Altaїr's greedy arms and after he shot him one last long demanding look, Altaїr finally stood up again and brushed the sand from his flat stomach. "You do know that you will get fat if you keep being lazy like this." Malik complained with a sly grin."Yeah? What will you do if I get fat?" Altaїr smirked but made no move towards the twins at all but stared (down) on his husband. Of course he wasn’t that much taller than Malik by now, but at least a tiny bit - and of course he liked to remind him about that fact every now and then. But this time Malik only poked his left index fingers against his (flat yet soft) stomach to let him yelp and stumble backwards a little. It was quite horrifying what strength Malik contained in just this one index finger."Then I'll go and search for a new young and sexy husband. Well perhaps I should let Sef finish the job and let him murder you first and then I'll go and search for a new one, after all you can't expect me to raise those three kids on my own. The boy's need another dad - they are used to that by now." Sometimes the way Malik looked at him while making such plans was a little bit too serious for Altaїr's liking but on the other hand if Malik would someday really murder him (or let him be murdered), he would have probably deserved it very much."You know someday you will regret that you have treated me like this, right?" Altaїr then grinned, but Malik only smirked and nodded in the directions of their other two sons, already waiting for their papa to play with them in the wet sand of the shore."Go now and keep an eye on Darim if he wants to go and take a swim again." With one last moan Altaїr finally left his little fortress he spent building the whole day and slowly (and sluggishly) dragged his feet through the hot sand towards the shore, but not without Malik smacking his (lazy) ass when he passed him. Altaїr didn’t even bother with reacting to his behavior. Of course he could've tried to drag this on and on about how it could be called sexual harassment when someone would smack another person's ass, but he knew he wouldn’t hinder going near the water with that. Other than this he was very well aware of the looks the other people lying around often shot them. He couldn’t really blame them for he could imagine they made an interesting picture. Certainly those poor people weren't confronted with nine very handsome guys at once lying around on the beach. Well … it was either that or the interest in Malik and him as a couple with children. Sometimes he even had noticed an elderly couple nearby whispering about them and it was only this morning that he finally understood that they tried to really figure out in which relation those guys all stood. He could’ve told them. He didn’t. It was much more fun to listen to them speculating.When he reached the twins he stopped for just one moment to look after Malik who already climbed up the stairs leading up to the cliffs and their current home with their baby boy on his shoulders. Altaїr didn’t like those steps very much. They were narrow and carved into the stone and he found it to be quite dangerous walking them up or down with a child or even at night - which they already did of course.From now on he could cross having sex on the beach off his list at least. It came right after having sex against a tree - which hadn't been such a good idea, but mainly because Malik had found it a plausible idea to fuck him against said tree while they originally had been on their morning jogging round in the middle of a fucking monsoon (which hadn’t been their best idea to begin with). They had been sick and bed stricken for nearly two weeks both after this little adventure. Being sick was no fun to begin with, but being sick with Malik was hell on earth and Altaїr was sure they never hated each other more than during those two weeks. Besides Malik's nagging and bragging about what a whiny baby Altaїr was when he was sick and disgusting (which he wasn’t, thank you very much), Ezio hadn't been the best nurse he could’ve think of and Connor hadn't been in the country to look after them and save them from Ezio's loving care. Not to mention, that Kadar and Desmond would not even get near them and enjoyed the freedom of having the house to themselves while their parents were dying upstairs."Papa, stop staring at dad, that's creepy." Darim complained somewhere in the region of Altaїr's left foot to get his father's attention before said father remembered his task and crouched down beside them boys in the wet sand. He had no clue how much time they really spent together building their little fortress out of sand, but it must've took a while for them after Darim spent what felt like an hour complaining over his father's lack of talent and explaining to him how it was done right. Tazim on the other hand was much more casual with building the fortress than his (older) twin much to Darim's dislike. It was moments like this when Altaїr could clearly see Darim becoming an architect one day. It was either that or he would become a very successful tyrant."Can I go swimming again?" Darim moaned at some point having enough from his father's incompetence and his brother's lack of interest in listening to him. Altaїr felt worry rising in his gut like bile when he had a look at the water so close to them. He had no problem walking through the shallow water hand in hand with Malik or with his kids and he had no big problem sitting in the shallow water with Sef and playing a little, splashing the little man with water, but he had a problem walking knee deep into it or letting his son walking into it. After all he couldn’t rescue him if the boy would drown! He could just sit and stare helplessly. When he felt Darim getting impatient with him again he glanced over the beach. There was a lifeguard sitting on his tower with sunglasses to shield himself from the sun, reading the newspaper and glancing every now and then through his binoculars at the calm sea and he could spot Connor not that far off sitting lazily on his surfboard chatting with what appeared to be his teacher - the one guy that didn’t seem intimidated by the friendly giant with the Mohawk. Of course Altaїr had not been thrilled at all when Connor really did this to his soft black hair (mainly to piss of his father with his grandpa's assistance), but his hair was already growing back quite fast, but of course Connor's new look had led Desmond to do the same to his hair.If something horrible would happen Connor would probably be even faster to rescue his nephew than any lifeguard could be and Altaїr could finally die in shame for not being capable of saving his son's life. "Okay." He finally sighed. "But stay close, okay? Dad will be back any minute now, so don’t swim too far off without him."Darim only rolled his eyes at him, but nodded when he found mercy with his father inside him. "Yes Papa." He replied, but Altaїr heard him huff under his breath something that sounded a lot like "I am no baby anymore.", but he decided to let him wander off anyway and not waste his time explaining to him why he was so worried and why it was so important that he would do as his papa said. Darim was not stupid (he didn’t make stupid babies) and he knew exactly why it was important. He already got his lecture from Malik more than once. Poor thing."Papa…" There was a splash when Darim jumped head first into the water after he was deep enough for doing that (which wasn’t deep considering his height). Tazim's bright blue eyes were staring directly at his face. "Why can't you swim? Didn't your Papa show you?"Of course it wasn’t his plan explaining to Tazim all of this right now on that beautiful day on the beach, but his son deserved the truth - kid-friendly. "Well you see … my papa died when I was very little.""Like Sef?""Even smaller than Sef. Do you remember how small Sef was when he was born?" A small nod. "That little was I when my father passed away. My mother had never the chance of teaching me and it never was really necessary for me to learn. Other then this I don’t like water very much." Tazim nodded a little and he could see how he turned his words over in his head, much like Connor used to do when he was his age, but unlike Connor there was not this small tilting of his head to the side when he did it. By the end of the summer he would finally start elementary school and he understood already quite much for his age, something that filled his parents with pride."Are you afraid of water, papa?" Tazim then asked building yet another little tower to their fortress which would not please his twin at all when he would see this disfigurement of his masterpiece. Altaїr chuckled softly and ruffled through the boy's damp curls."Yes I am, very much so, button. But it got better with time and it is not as bad as it used to be.""Can't Daddy teach you how to swim?" Now it was Altaїr making a face. Imagining being taught by Malik how to swim alone was painful. When it came to their kids Malik was the most patient guy he ever had the good fortune of knowing, but he didn’t possess the same patience in teaching his silly husband. He would simply let him drown."Well maybe someday." Altaїr then shrugged. Yes, he would let Malik teach him how to swim, as soon as he was finished and at peace with his life - just in case. Tazim still stared at him with large blue eyes and a more then puzzled expression in his soft face. His wet curls stuck to his forehead, when Altaїr pushed them back a little and briefly wondered if Malik would have curls like this if he would let his hair grow longer. At least he knew that Kadar's hair would get a little wavy if it got wet or grew too long."You are an enigma to me, papa." The little boy then said with all the authority a six year old child could possess and a little shovel waving at him like a scolding finger. How was one supposed to keep a straight face when a six year old child said something like this?"Where did that come from?" Altaїr chuckled but right in that moment when Tazim opened his mouth yet another time to answer him, Altair knew something was very wrong and the following cry only left Altaїr shaken to the core instantly."Papa!" The child's scream repeated itself, when Altaїr jumped to his feet and turned around. He could see Darim's little head and his nearly black hair floating between the waves, suddenly big enough to swallow a child. When did they grow so big? How hadn’t he noticed? He had no eye for Connor and his teacher on their surfboards right now or for Tazim and the panicked look the boy shot to his twin. "Papa, help!"It was this very moment, when he saw how the boy frantically waving with his frail arms at him that he simply stopped thinking at all and he didn’t waste any second looking to the lifeguard in his tower to see if the guy already noticed his son's predicament or turning and looking over the beach for help from any of the other people with their kids. Darim's cry was loud enough that people stared in horror at the drowning child, but Altaїr managed to blend all that out pretty swiftly, when he moved on his own, running into the water. His fear was still a nagging presence in the back of his head, his disability to swim still so very clear to him, but when Darim cried out for help yet another time and when he saw how another wave swallowed the boy fully he just jumped into the unknown force that was the ocean. His movement had no grace whatsoever when he tried to fight his way through the blue desert and was confronted only with resistance by the element that wanted to devour his son and never give him back to his parents again. Suddenly the water was no mystical force for him any longer; it was a wild beast that tried to take away his child and would fight against Altaїr for keeping it.Later he wouldn’t even know how he made it to Darim, only that he reached the location he had seen him last before another wave swallowed him whole and that he took a deep breath and let himself sink down. He would remember the burning sensation of the water in his eyes when he pried them open to search for his exhausted child that could easily be miles away already. But there he was, floating in the water like it was only a dream (a nightmare). He grabbed him without thinking, without letting his panic sunk in, without letting the water drown him, when he pressed the child to his chest and tried to paddle upwards - only that he didn’t even know where up was anymore. He could see the sun glistening above him through the water, mocking him for his childish fear that would not only kill him but his son as well at some point. Perhaps now it was repaid that he never learned swimming no matter how often Malik offered to teach him, no matter how often Desmond and the other begged him to learn. Now it was too late and he already felt exhausted when his head finally crushed through the stone hard surface once again, his son wrapped in his arms as tight as he could with only his legs paddling beneath him in panic and a last attempt to fight for his and his kid's life."Altaїr!" Connor's deep rumbling voice never was more welcome than in this very moment, but Altaїr had no ability to focus on his brother or really anything other than the body in his arms. He could only look around and see nothing at all other than the endless blue abyss he let himself fell into. He didn’t notice how Connor reached him paddling lying down on his surfboard, but just seconds after his call he felt his brother's large and strong hands, trying to grab his shoulders. He had no clue how Connor managed to loosen his grip around Darim, but he did. Somehow he managed to pry the boy from his father and lay him on his surfboard, growling at his brother to hold onto the board while he dragged them nearly weightless through the water and back to the shore.Altaїr didn’t even really understand what was happening around him. He had only eyes for his unmoving son on the board while he could do absolutely nothing than being dragged by his brother like a puppet through the waves. He never was more ashamed in his life and suddenly the panic he felt normally only being confronted with water, he felt towards the lifelessness of his baby boy. There were hands grabbing him and his boy when they finally reached the shore. Tanned fingers wrapping around Altaїr's shoulders to drag him on wobbly legs to the safety of the sand where he finally sunk to his knees but never letting his boy out of his gaze again. This was every parent's worst nightmare and now he was living it - again. He thought back to the day when his brothers were taken from him, the weeks when he hadn't even known if they were alright, this now felt like this back then only ten times worse.Finally – after what felt like an eternity - there was the lifeguard running towards Connor and his son grabbing the little body. He wanted to call out and shoo him away, but he didn’t, for the remaining reasonable part of his brain finally took over again. He saw Connor crouching next to the lifeguard, when he laid his son into the wet sand and blocking his way so Altair couldn’t see what was happening and he knew his brother did this on purpose. It was only then that he understood that those tanned fingers belonged to Desmond, still holding onto him, holding him back like a rabid dog and it was only then that he understood that he indeed was fighting his brother to get to his son without even noticing it. Parents were supposed to protect their children at all costs, parents were supposed to be calm and collected and to soothe their kids, but he failed on absolutely every level. When he searched the beach for his other child, he noticed that Ezio had already grabbed Tazim and had taken him to their little fortress of parasols, blankets and large towels to soothe him."Darim!" Malik's voice thundered across the beach and when Altair followed the sound, he saw the Syrian man running down the dangerously narrow steps, followed closely by Kadar with Sef in his arms. Kadar must've run to alarm Malik while his brothers built their own special force around Altaїr - All that in those few moments in which Altair had been in the water. He had no clue why their brains were working in moments like this while in his was only white noise and nothing reasonable left in his head.Long before Malik could reach the small group at the shore, there was a small cough to his side, then another and another, and then again Connor's low voice, rumbling something like "Hey there buddy, you really gave us a good scare." And that he did. He really did scare him. Finally Altaїr let himself fall against Desmond in his back his whole body flooded with relief and shock in the very same instant, when it finally came crushing down on him what really happened. When the lifeguard finally moved away after saying something to Connor he couldn’t understand for he saw his boy again still lying in the sand at Connor's side, grinning sheepishly and tired at him. Finally Desmond let him go again so Altaїr could drag his exhausted, wet and shivering body to the silly boy that pretended to be his son and wrapped him in his arms once again. "I told you." He whispered under his shaking breath. "I told you to stay close." But there was no accusation in his voice only relief that his child had at least enough strength to grin at him."What happened?" Malik huffed, his face pale with shock when he dropped next to them in the sand and pressed a chaste kiss to Darim's wet little head, but Altaїr couldn’t bring himself to say anything. All he could do was staring wide-eyed at Malik's face, still without understanding what he did, until his child could say it."Papa saved me." He mumbled tiredly and as exhausted as his father felt. All he wanted to do was to fall into their bed, his child close to his heart and sleep forever. He didn’t really say anything, while they left the beach but he let Connor take Darim so he could carry him piggyback and he let Ezio guide Tazim by his hand and let Kadar carry the confused Sef who didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to play in the sand anymore, while Altair himself only clung to Malik's hand for dear life.It was much later that day, as the night already covered their little cottage, when Altaїr finally spoke up again. Tonight their bed was filled again with their kids. Darim was wrapped up in his arms while Tazim was curled around Sef in their middle. He could see in the dim light how Malik brushed his fingers over Tazim's little head every now and then, his eyes still open. "I think…" Altaїr began slowly and saw how Malik's eyes flashed to his face in the shadows. "I think it is about time you teach me how to swim…"
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"You've got to be kidding me." It was this very sentence, which usually silenced the whole house immediately, because the other inhabitants would silently (and wisely) agree to not move anymore at all –as if they would simply merge into their environment like a chameleon like this. It was not working. It never worked. It would never work and Connor Kenway knew perfectly well that he was in deep shit whenever these magical words were said."You are in big trouble, daddy." Sounded the little voice of his baby daughter from underneath the kitchen table and for just a small moment her big brown eyes were all that was to be seen of the child. Connor only pulled a small grimace at this."What's this again, Connor?" Aveline moaned, while Connor tried his very best to look as innocent as humanly possible as he turned around on his chair to face the danger eye to eye like a real man."A rabbit, dear.""And why exactly is a bunny lying on our kitchen table?""A rabbit." – corrected the vet simply out of pure accuracy, after all his baby daughter should learn the difference right from the start. It was much more easy to teach someone something right from the start no matter how complicated as to correct past mistakes later. "It's hurt and the little Miss found it outside the house in the front yard.""Connor Kenway, you cannot bring your patients home with you every time to spread them out on our kitchen table! Don’t you know how unhygienic this is? How many times did you do something like that this week?""The eight time, Mommy!" The little ghost underneath the table helped cheerfully and without any mercy for her father."Well … It's not like I wouldn’t disinfect the table afterwards…""You’ve got a practice for stuff like this, Connor!""But it would’ve died if I wouldn’t have treated it right away!" Sooner or later – perhaps more like later.Aveline rolled her beautiful dark eyes at this. "Well then at least we would’ve got roast hare – oh excuse me, rabbit – for dinner. And now get this thing off my table."The child underneath the table moaned and it sounded a lot like Oh Moooom! But Moooom showed her rigid site and Connor grabbed the injured rabbit gently from the table before little Jeanne crawled out from under the table to look up to her father with her big hazel eyes once more. She was only three years old, but even now; he could exactly see what kind of woman would become of her someday. She had her mother's dark hair, which framed her face in elegant waves. Her taint was light, but much darker than of the other children in kindergarten. Her chin was the very same he knew from his father and grandpa – proud and rigid: a real, little Kenway."Jeanne Maria Kenway, would you please tell your father to bring this animal outside where it belongs?" Aveline sighed after she … well, waddled … towards the fridge. Aveline was an elegant lady, a beautiful lady, a gracious lady as long as he had the good fortune of knowing her. Only when she was pregnant – well, then she waddled through life and that annoyed her much more than any rabbit on the kitchen table really could. Jeanne rolled her eyes in the very same manner as her mother liked to, but then her father leaned forward and gave her the rabbit so she could take care of the task at hand."Go on sweetie, put it in the front yard." He told her with a gentle smile and ruffled through her thick dark hair. The animal would get far away with the injured leg and it wouldn’t be the first nor the last time that his wife would find a small spot in her heart for the hurt animal after two hours or so, if she would have to watch Jeanne sitting by the window to look as miserable and sad as she could muster.It was only a question of time until the rabbit would move into the small stable in the backyard. And that was something Jeanne knew as well as he and his beloved wife. Anyway, he played along, because it was not wise to provoke a pregnant woman – that he learned the first time and the little scar on his right cheek would remind him on that for the rest of his life.So he opened the front door for his daughter after she lead the way in her washed out overalls – she absolutely refused to wear skirts or dresses and Connor wondered where she might have got that from – and watched her stumble outside. On socks. Well this was yet another reason why Aveline would start nagging any minute now. Oh well. However, Connor could not find it in himself to focus on his daughter, because there was something different, which suddenly was much more interesting to him."What are Uncle Malik and Uncle Altaїr doing in the bushes?" Jeanne finally turned to her father the fat rabbit still in her arms."Well that’s a good question, honey." ----------------------------It certainly was another milestone in their long-lived relationship – that was something Altaїr knew for sure. Malik and he had gone through a lot in the cause of all those years they endured the presence of one another in their lives, but he would’ve never thought to find himself one day in a situation like this: half (and very poorly) hidden behind a bush on the side of the street they were living in.Of course bushes had always played a big role in his more sexy fantasies concerning his husband, but not so much the bushes on the side of the street in their neighborhood where absolutely everybody (even the old Mrs. Taylor who was living across the street and would always bring them a few cookies during the holiday season) could see them – especially not when his little brother was living a few houses down the very same road (facing this very bush) with his little family."Could you two please explain to me what exactly you are doing here?"Altaїr's life almost found its end when the dark voice of his little brother sounded right next to him, behind the bush Malik and him were hiding behind. And it was quite obvious that Malik's heart too skipped a few beats judging by the expression on his face.Malik appeared more out of place than ever before with his black suit and his reading glasses on his nose. A few small leafs were entangled in his short black hair and his cravat was tangled and messy. Altaїr on the other hand tried to appear as casual as possible and just as if he would crawl through the bushes on a day-to-day basis. Well, sadly his baby brother knew him all too well to know better."Should I worry about your mental state or should I rather call a lawyer?""Psssssst!" Malik replied almost instantly and Altaїr grabbed his brother by the right wrist to pull him down to the ground with them. It was impossible for a bear like figure like Connor was to hide behind a small bush, but the half-English boy tried it nonetheless – with almost no success."What are you doing here?" Connor whispered finally, his brows knotted together and his forehead covered in thick worry lines. It was quite obvious that he really questioned the mental state of his big brother and his brother in law."Were watching the kids." Well that did not make it exactly any better – especially not when those two grown men were hiding in the bushes like some pervert."Why?" It was an understandable question from Connors point of view, but one which Altaїr would not answer in passing – or rather in the bushes. Anyway:"That’s a long story…"And this story started with Darim and Tazim coming home from school and barging into the kitchen, as they would always do. Right from the start the kitchen was the first room in the house to visit when coming home – no matter by whom – and the fridge would be greeted much more endearing than the parents. They changed their diapers, they left their bed night after night after night for them, they comforted them after a nightmare, they fed them when they had been hungry and loved them with all of their hearts, still the fridge managed to steal away their kids' hearts. By now, Altaїr was getting used to being not as interesting as before their kids could open the fridge themselves. All he could do was standing with crossed arms next to the damned thing to click his tongue in disapproval (which was something Malik was way better with).Like always Darim war the first to stumble into the kitchen, but right before his little hand could close itself around the handle of the fridge, his father cleared his throat, still sitting at the table. Sef was the last who shuffled into the room, but therefore he was the first (and only) who found the mercy in his little child heart to greet his miserable Papa. "How was school today?" Altaїr smirked when he ruffled through Sef's cute little curls and his brown eyes lit up almost immediately."Great!" The six-year-old boy exclaimed a huge grin on his face and after a small moment of climbing, he managed to get on his father's lap. Out of the three children they called their own Sef was the clingiest one even now with his six years and Altaїr could remember still pretty well how he had been in this tender age – very much the same. He had been incredible jealous of Connor when his mother stopped cuddling with him – her oldest – only because of the new baby. Then Sef started telling him about school, about the little art contest his class would participate in for eastern, about the new math exercise they did that day and about the new letters he learned. School was still new and exciting for Sef and Sef himself was eager for knowledge anyway. His story finally ended with: "And then Sam picked us up from school and brought us home!"There are certain things in the life of parents, words that are spoken, names that are said, commentary of children which are made, about which kids would not ponder as much but which would throw mothers and fathers right into the pit of anxiety. Altaїr felt the cold sweat almost immediately. "Who is Sam?" He finally asked, even though alarm bells already shrilled in his head. Darim's "Psssst! You can't tell him!" did not make it any better.Suddenly Altaїr felt extremely uncomfortable."Sam is our new friend." Replied Sef grinning and clearly he did not give a flying shit about his big brother's demands of keeping his mouth shut. Still no matter how much Altaїr asked or tried to grill his beloved baby boy for answers - he would not get them. Oh no. No, no. His sweet little baby boy could be secretive as fuck."You worry too much." - Malik had criticized that very same day when they finally crawled into their ridiculous big bed - even though it was Altaїr who crawled into bed for Malik was already lying there comfortably with his recent book."I believe you worry not enough." Altaїr moaned and stopped at Malik's feet to sit on the mattress. After all those years Malik had finally given up his silent war about the right side of the bed and he probably still thought that Altaїr never even realized there was a war going on at all. Poor fool."You behave like mother hen." It wasn’t even like Altaїr wouldn’t see the little grin on the face of his beloved husband, which same husband unsuccessfully tried to hide behind his stupid book and that was why in consequence Altaїr only grabbed Malik's naked left foot and pulled a little on it."I just worry about my children and so should you." He murmured, but Malik reacted in lifting one of his brows and humming into his book. Enough was enough. Frustrated Altaїr pulled a little harder on his foot and pulled it closer before he leant forward and sunk his teeth into the warm skin. His gloating was immense when he felt him twitch under the attack."Not behind every corner hides a sex offender!" Malik moaned finally while he did not just tried to get his foot back from his mischievous husband but also saved it underneath his trusty blanket were Altaїr could not get to it again so easily."There are more than enough creepers running around out there and if this Sam-guy picks our children up after school we should know who he is and what he wants from our boys!" Of course he knew that he probably worried too much sometimes and that not every person could be seen as a potential criminal, no matter if said person would go near his children or not."Perhaps this Sam is just some lonely old man who wants to make sure that they get home safely." Malik then replied a little bit softer when he put his book to the side. "What do you think will happen to them as long as they are together? You know how Darim is."Oh yes, Altaїr knew pretty well how his oldest son was. Darim was only nine years old, but he was learning judo for a month now, after he begged his parents for seven months straight prior (because all the cool kids did something like this and clearly, Darim Al-Sayf was the coolest of them all). Since then there was no possible danger in the life of the elementary school kid he needed to fear. Should any creep try to steal either him or one of his little brothers away Darim would be more than happy to show this creep what he already learned (that was how to fall correctly in essence).He was very close to bite Malik again - but did not. "I don’t like it that the boys have secrets. And then this Sam-guy! That’s how it always starts in horror movies!""And that’s why you aren't allowed to watch horror movies with Desmond anymore."And like this the topic was finished for all Malik - his understanding and caring husband - knew and again he only turned back to read his book to look important and boring while he ignored how Altaїr was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He had no other chance than to lean back and watch how things were unfolding - even though he did not like it. He did not like to watch, he liked to act.However, Altaїr did not act rashly. He managed to restrain himself. Each day when his three boys came home from school Altaїr asked the same questions and his boys would give him the same answers. Only Sam they never mentioned again and Altaїr did not ask about him. Well … he did not ask his baby boy again when his big brothers were around (especially the big boss of the trio), because Darim would still make this nasty Psssssst!-sound every time baby Sef would try to say something about his new friend Sam."So, Sef, this Sam … is he still picking you guys up whenever Daddy or I can't?" Altaїr tried finally when he ended his self-inflicted torture after two weeks while he helped Sef with his homework, only because he felt safe right now for Darim was attending his judo class and Tazim decided to watch him (so he would learn how to fall correctly). Altaїr could only hope that Tazim would not decide to join his brother with this new hobby, because otherwise he would be much better (in terms of correctly falling) than his twin brother in no time at all and would bring havoc and chaos over this house.Sef stopped right as he was about to write a number in one of the little answering fields and looked mischievous up to his father. "Darim's says I shouldn’t talk about it." And they both knew pretty well that this was not what Papa wanted to hear at all. Sef did not continue anyway instead he only drew a small four into the field on his paper."And how comes it that you are not allowed to talk about it?" Altaїr asked furthermore."Darim says it's our secret with Sam and that he won't come to pick us up and that he won't play with us anymore when I tell you." Again, alarm bells were going off loudly inside his head. Something was horribly, horribly wrong with this Sam and his boys. If this guy would not have anything to hide, then there really was no reason why his boys should not talk about it."So you guys also play with him?" He tried his very best to appear as innocent as he could, but on the same instant he couldn’t help but think back to the incident with Haytham many years ago, when the man had stolen his baby brother away to go and eat ice-cream with him, just because Altaїr wanted to scare the boy a little. He knew now that this whole situation could have ended worse than it did. It could have been someone different from Haytham back then to pick little Connor up but some pervert, some sick creep. He could have lost his little brother that infamous day and for that, he still blamed himself, but he would never risk something like this to happen to his own children, no matter if Malik thought him to be paranoid. So be it! He would much rather be a little bit too careful than living with the risk that his kids would be hurt by somebody only because he had not been careful enough. But yet he tried to talk about those things as harmless as he could so Sef would not get frightened. "What are you playing with Sam?"Sef looked a little bit caught at that and Altaїr was pretty sure he tried to remember his big brother's words. Altaїr knew exactly how things were working between kids. He had little brothers himself and he had taken Connor's teddy hostage on more than one occasion, whenever he deemed it necessary (mostly whenever he broke something and tried to cover up the crime with silencing the only witness - which was mostly poor little Connor)."Well, you know: This and that. Sometimes we play ball or we play catch! Yesterday Sam sniffed Tazim's butt, that was funny, but Tazim only got all upset and embarrassed the entire way back from school!"Which adult man would sniff a child's but?! What kind of sick creep was this guy?! Andy why was nobody doing something? Oh he would love it so much if he had the chance to pick his boys up after school every day, but Tazim and Darim had earned the right to be treated like big boys and to go home on their own whenever Malik and he himself couldn’t pick them up and if he would now decide to forbid it they would just get unsure of themselves and the situation. He did not want that. He could not forbid it without explaining the dangers to them and for that they were still too little and too innocent. They should not look distrusting into the world."Do you think Daddy and I could someday meet this Sam too?" - To punch him in the mouth of course. Yes, that was exactly the sole core of his thought process. But Sef only made a little grimace."No I don’t think he would like that. He only brings us to the corner and then he goes back home every time." Sef explained. Of course, this guy would not dare coming too close to the house if he knew there was a worrying father waiting for his children and who would ask him about his motivation for picking up said children if he would come too close."What a pity. I bet Daddy would be really happy if we could meet him someday." Altaїr sighed and brushed his fingers through his sons little curls, but Sef only shrugged his shoulders."Perhaps he rethinks his decision one day. Don’t be sad, Papa." Little Sef encouraged him with a way too serious face for a six year old child. But for Altaїr Al-Sayf the decision was already made. He would watch this Sam. He would not let this guy get away so easily."Are you really suggesting that we should go on look-out?" If it would be possible Malik's left eyebrow would vanish under his hairline, that high he had raised it. After all those years, the lines on Malik's forehead had become deeper and deeper and Altaїr could now almost watch how they got even deeper with every second and how the first hairs on Malik's head turned grey because of him. Well he was not the youngest anymore."Why yes, I am suggesting that we should go on look-out indeed." Altaїr confirmed with a small sigh after he had sat down cross-legged by Malik's feet on the mattress again. Malik was a wise man and because he was a wise man, he already protected his poor feet with thick socks and underneath the blanket. You can never be too sure if there is not an idiot in the very same bed that will bite your feet otherwise."Don’t you think you overact things a little bit?" The second eyebrow teamed up with its twin."No.""And I believe I can't really convince you to not make a fool out of yourself?""No.""Why won't you just go to pick them up yourself and hide in the background to see who this guy is? Wouldn’t that be reasonable?" Malik moaned a little and closed the book, which he started reading three weeks ago. For Altaїr it was an enigma why he had not managed to finally beat page 30 or why he will not give up on that book. It was getting ridiculous. His husband never read so slow in his life."Do you think I wouldn’t have tried this already? I've never seen anyone. There were too many people and Sef spotted me right away and ran to me. If this guy had been there he now knows what I look like and will stay the hell away from me.""Well I must say you don’t behave exactly discreet - more like a bull in a china-shop.""Well then, try it yourself you master of disguise."And he did. The next day it was Malik's turn to pick them boys up after school and to go on lookout for the culprit - but just like Altaїr a few days prior his sneaky husband failed disastrous. Instead of bringing new information about the target, he only brought three noisy and exited children back home - one that was blabbering without pausing for a few seconds, one which wanted to be carried piggy-back-style and the third which needed to show his newest judo-achievements right then and there."And that’s why you guys are cowering behind a bush like two morons?" Connor finally reasoned. Saying that his face was interesting to watch was indeed an understatement, when he came to this conclusion. It was almost impossible to tell if he tried to stifle laughter or if he was planning an intervention. "Jeanne saw you two from across the road, hiding in the bushes - so let me tell you: you two are not behaving so very discreet, just in case you were planning on tailing someone in the future. And now - if you two decide to spare yourselves further embarrassments, because I'm sure the neighbors will call the cops, it would be a good idea to behave like normal adults and go back inside.""Would you go back inside if it would be Jeanne we're talking about?" Malik groaned close to Altaїr's side and of course, Altaїr did not waste a second to come to Malik's aid with a hard nod. But Connor could only do as much as sigh. The answer was pretty obvious. After all, he was descendent of a man who once lured a six-year-old boy away from the schoolyard with the promise of ice cream and who then spied on said kid years later in the bushes to keep an eye on his child on the playground.Normal people did not exist in their family."Quiet now! They're coming!" Malik then hissed and he was right because just in this exact moment the trio turned around the corner. Sef was leading the group like he did most of the time and even from afar Altaїr felt pity for his baby boy because of his heavy looking backpack and because neither of his big brothers helped the little one with his burden. Perhaps he really needed to talk to Darim about this - after all Darim wanted to be a big brother, so the logical consequence was that he would behave like a real big brother. Anyway, after his boys turned around the corner he needed to realize that there was no creepy old man following them - just a dog. A big dog. A really big, hairy dog.Even from afar, the dog seemed not to be exactly a puppy anymore, but alone his snout was big enough so Sef's little head would fit inside - should the dog finally decide that Sef was not so much his friend as he was his breakfast."Is that Sam?" Connor chuckled at the side of the two daddies, but stayed hidden behind the bush with them - after all, it could be possible that the culprit had not closed the distance between him and the kids already.The dog followed the kids over the crosswalk onto their side of the street and then sat down next to the stop sign. It was pretty clear to Altaїr that the black Alsatian was very good behaved and even from that, far away he could see his dog tag glistening in the sunlight. So he belonged to someone, but there was still no sign of the owner. What person that was in their right mind would let a beast like this dog run freely through town?Altaїr could only watch how his boys petted the dog's large head and how the beast finally dragged his long tongue through his baby boy's face, when he at last said his goodbye t the dog. They were close enough to hear them talking to the animal after this little procedure. "See ya, Sam! Take care!" Sef called when his brothers dragged him along, but the dog stayed where he was for a few more seconds and watched the kids, until he stood and turned to walk off again."Well I guess there you have your sex-offender." Connor laughed when he finally stood up again and rightly so, because from across the road there sounded the lovely voice of his wife. "Connor Kenway! What do you think you are doing in the bushes? Would you please come back inside and tell your daughter that this bunny doesn’t belong on the couch?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The sound of the door being closed in his back was like the sound of a gun being loaded and pointed directly at his head, while he was preparing the last words he wanted to tell the world before his untimely demise. But no, a gun to the head would be mercy considering the predicament Kadar Al-Sayf found himself in right now.
And maybe some people would try to argue with him that he should have known that this day would come sooner or later – that he should have seen it coming! Still, it had hit Kadar like a sledgehammer to the stomach when it then finally did happen.It started a week ago with Desmond, his … Well, his big brother's brother in law, who was also Kadar's roommate since they moved out of the family home, pacing back and forth in their living room at three o'clock in the morning. Kadar was normally quite the heavy sleeper and nothing in the world (not even a military attack) was able to wake him until his body was well rested and decided it would be time to wake up (which was normally not before noon), but on that faithful night Desmond's pacing had managed to wake him up, despite all his reinforcements against the noise outside his little paradise of blankets and warmth.For Desmond it was somewhat normal to be up at that time in the night for his job as a barkeeper simply gave him no other choice than that and Kadar himself was quite the night owl, though he spent his time much rather on his computer and not so much in bars of any sort. The only times Kadar found himself partying was when Ezio (yet another one of his older brother's brothers in law) forced him to come with him, mostly after he got into an argument with his boyfriend or his ex girlfriend about their daughter.Sometimes Kadar liked to sit back on his large sofa, stare at the ceiling and ponder about the family he found himself in. It was madness. Pure madness. Of course, his brother was gay and that was all good and jolly! He liked Altaїr! And he loved the kids the both of them had dearly (of course they were his nephews and he was surely the coolest uncle ever to be), but finding out about Ezio and Leonardo had been not all that easy to contemplate. So of course, he had been a little bit more relaxed after Connor finally got Aveline to date him and cheered Desmond up every time Lucy threw him out.So, when Kadar left his fortress to have an annoyed look at the man running around the living room so late at night, he half expected him to start rambling about Lucy again. Desmond was a good looking guy, because all of them brothers were, and he did have a heart way too big for his own good. Kadar was almost certain that Desmond simply needed to leave the house and a whole army of women would throw themselves at him and were happy to marry him if he was to ask any of them. Sadly, this poor fool only liked one woman in the entire world and that was Lucy Stillman. Kadar had never been too fond of that girl. She was way tooambitioned and never showed her true interest that she had in people. She was the sole opposite of Desmond."What the hell Desmond?" Kadar yawned and leant against the doorframe. His roommate (and best friend) still wore his usual bartending uniform, when he turned to face Kadar with wide eyes and a bloody nose."Kadar!" He exclaimed and almost jumped at him, so naturally Kadar staggered back and almost fell over the mess on his floor, but he caught his balance like a pro and instead looked puzzled at the man in front of him."What? Where did you get the bloody nose from? Did you get into a fight?" Desmond was not so very likely to get into bar fights at all, but he surely was one of the more experienced fighters in their family."Kadar!" He exclaimed again and grabbed both of his shoulders."What, Desmond?" He asked again, contemplating if he should fear for his life the way Desmond was looking at him or if the bartender might have not only a bloody nose but perhaps a bloody nose too."I think I love him!"Yes, that was when Kadar Al-Sayf should have realized what was coming for him. He did not though and now he was here, standing in a just all too familiar hallway, staring with horror into a pair of large amber eyes. Sef was four by now and the day the boy needed to start wearing glasses (two months ago) one dramatic event. Kadar thought it looked cute though. A little bit Sef looked like an owl with those glasses in his face and his messy sand brown curls."What?" Kadar asked, while the stare of the child in front of him became more creepy with every passing second."Where is Uncle Dessy?" The child finally asked and he still got his little problems with some of the vowels. Outside it was snowing and he heard his brother rummaging in the kitchen (because most of the time the kitchen was off-limits to Altaїr after several incidents, including the one with the pancake on the ceiling)."He's on a date." Kadar sighed and like that was the magic word the head of his brother in law peeked around the corner of the living room door."A date?" He chirped. "With Lucy?"He almost sounded disgusted by the sound of the name and Kadar could not help but close his eyes and pray that he would not be forced to tell exactly with whom, for he promised Desmond not to tell – especially not his big brother."No. With … with someone else." He managed to say, but of course, just like his father, little Sef was no one to let it go so easily."With whom?" He asked, speaking f instead of the th. Gladly it was his older nephew coming to his rescue."Dad!" The oldest kid moaned, walking out of the living room and pulling Altaїr with him. "You need to go now! You are already late!" It was Thursday night. No. Not justaThursday night. Not a normal Thursday night. It was the much dreaded parent-teacher conference evening. Darim surely was not happy that his father's would go to his teachers again (because for Darim normally that meant a thorough scolding afterwards), but on the other hand that meant he would have the whole place to himself (more or less)! But when Darim's blue eyes met Kadar's blue eyes, his face dropped. "Oh come on! We don’t need no babysitter!"Well, the twins just turned eight … Yes surely, they were way too mature to have a babysitter."Of course you don’t." Malik stated when he left the kitchen with Tazim by his side, who apparently just helped him to clean up after dinner, like the (eager beaver) good boy he was. "That’s why you need to take care of your uncle. He can't take care of himself all alone without Desmond."Malik had not even the decency to grin at him. No, he was serious! At least Sef bought this blatant lie! "Don’t worry, Daddy! We will take care of Uncle Kadar!" He did not even doubt the little one. With that, the two fathers were up and aboutand left him alone with the kids. Alone with three pairs of eyes digging holes into his soul.Well, it was only a few hours, so what could possibly go wrong, right?It turned out that there was a lot that could go wrong within just a few hours when looking after three little boys, which were all full of energy. After only two hours Kadar was pretty much done. He felt utterly exhausted already and he had no clue how his brother and Altaїr managed to deal with those brats on a daily basis! If it was not for Darim running around the house like a hyperactive hamster to get something cool to show to his (cool) uncle Kadar, it was Tazim, trying to get his attention and ask him for help with his homework and if it was not Tazim, then it was Sef, pulling on Kadar's shirt to drag him around the house, blabbering excited about all the new things he learned in kindergarten or how mean the other kids were.It was only eight o'clock when he fell down on the comfortable sofa. All he wanted to do was to cry into the sofa cushions or jump out of the window. Those kids. Really. He loved them. They were his nephews. Still. Those kids.It was a miracle to Kadar why Desmond always came home so excited after babysitting them and how in the world he managed not to go on a rampage while babysitting them! And why in the world couldn’t Connor come over to babysit them? He was quite sure that this was Allah's way of testing his inner strength and his faith in him and humanity."Uncle Kadaaaaaar?" Of course. He just sat down the first time since he arrived at this fucking place! When Kadar turned his head to the side, he was met with those giant brown bambi-eyes of little Sef. The little guy with his thick glasses really was fucking adorable when he was looking at someone like this. Still, he was annoyed."Whaaaaaat?" Kadar moaned and made no effort at all to sit up straight so he could look at the little bugger better."Can we order some pizza? I am hungry." Kadar glanced at his watch. Well, the little ones needed to go to bed soon, right? They probably did have dinner. Oh that was a trick, wasn’t it? This little monster with his cute behavior!"I'm sure your parents have fed you. No snacks past dawn for gremlins like you. Now get up there and brush your teeth. You need to go to bed. Where even are your brothers?"Sef looked down on his little feet in such a way it only made it very clear to Kadar that he tried to think of a lie. Little monster. But even before Sef could try to lie, there was a loud noise upstairs and then a little scream and the start of a really miserable wailing. Kadar was on his feet right away, running past Sef and upstairs towards the sound. Oh, Malik would gut him if something would happen to his precious mini-mes! So Kadar stormed up the staircase, Sef right at his heels (though the four-year-old was not nearly as fast as he with his short wobbly legs) and a part of him thought that he should look out for the little guy so he would not break his neck on the staircase. Instead, he ran down the familiar hallway, following the miserable crying until he reached the twins room.Darim was lying on the floor, clutching his face, screaming and crying at the top of his lungs, while Tazim crouched next to his twin, clearly helpless. "What happened?" Kadar squealed, his mind raging in panic, his brain shutting off completely. What if he had broken his nose? What if he had broken … anything? There was blood oozing from underneath Darim's hand, when Kadar crouched down in front of him and tried to move his hands from the little face. Tazim helplessly patted his brother's shoulder. Kadar on the other hand just wanted to run across the street to get Connor; after all he was a doctor! Yes, that was it! Darim still refused to move his hands, only crying louder and Kadar jumped up again. "Sef, stay with your brothers and keep an eye on them! I'll be right back!" He didn’t wait for a response, only ran out of the room again and nearly made little Sef fall while running past him.Kadar was out of the house and in the silent, dark and snowy street within only just a few seconds and did not at all thought about leaving three little boys behind like this, with one of them being heavily injured and probably on the verge of dying. He was not trained for this! He was a nerd! The only things he understood were computers for fucks sake! Those kids were no computers! Good thing Connor lived so close by and in the living room window were still the lights on. So, Kadar ran to the door and started banging onto the wood of the door until the bloody thing was being opened. Connor was wearing his reading glasses and looked at least a bit disheveled. Under different circumstances he would have thought Connor had been a naughty boy - but then he remembered that this was still their little puppy wolf Connor - other than this he knew that face he was making. The idiot had fallen asleep on the couch with a book."Kadar?" He yawned. Yapp, just as he thought. No matter how old Connor would get or how hot his wife may be, he would never be a naughty, naughty boy. "What's wrong?""Connor! Quick! Darim had an accident! He is bleeding! I think his nose is broken!" No matter how sleepy Connor had been up until now, when the words entered his brain he was wide awake and left his house without thinking twice about it or at least calling for his wife. Kadar could not care less anyway. He already saw himself driving with Darim to the hospital and could already hear his big brother screaming at him for harming his oldest son, while Altaїr was cooing over their poor, innocent baby like a mother hen. Oh, he was so fucked! Fucking Desmond and his fucking date and his fucking spontaneous gayness! And fuck Shaun fucking Hastings!At least they had a doctor in their family. Well, a vet, but still a doctor! Children were not so very different fromkittens, puppies and baby rabbits, right?As for Sef, it normally sufficed when he would get a kiss when he had scraped open his knee again! Maybe all Darim needed was a kiss! No matter if that would suffice, better Connor would kiss him then! Surely, Kadar's kisses would be poisonous for the little guy!They were inside the house within seconds and up the stairs. Darim was still crying loudly and Sef was still looking like a very confused chipmunk when Connor and Kadar entered the nursery. Kadar let Connor take care of the mess and the injured child while he just stood there helplessly with Sef by his side grabbing his hand – probably to soothe his uncle. Kadar watched how Connor crouched down in front of Darim and gently persuaded him to lower his hands so he could look at him more closely. The giant was good with kids, no doubt about that and when he brushed away the thick tears on Darim's face, the boy at least stopped crying."Well, looks like you lost one of your baby teeth." Connor just laughed and a second later Tazim presented the tooth of his brother to his uncle."Gross!" Sef exclaimed by Kadar's side. He lost one of his baby teeth. That was it. Oh for fuck's sake! Suddenly Darim seemed excited when he grabbed his tooth from his brother and looked at it."Oh so weird!" He grinned (with one tooth less than normally). Suddenly all his shock and pain seemed forgotten and when Connor had cleaned up the blood on his little face, everything was fine and dandy again. Still, Connor cooed a little bit over the twins and cleaned up the tooth with Darim and Tazim in the bathroom. Kadar simply followed with Sef like a lemming. There was really nothing he could do other than this."You know what you'll do with that tooth, right?" Connor asked directed at Darim, after he wrapped it into a handkerchief and when Darim shook his head with big blue eyes, Connor grinned and ruffled through his hair. "Well, you put it under your pillow and the tooth-fairy will come and get it and will give you a dollar."Suddenly Tazim looked devastated. Surely, the little boy started praying to lose a tooth right away too immediately, while Sef did not understand yet. Money did not have any value for the four year old for now at least.After this, Kadar escorted Connor down to the door again and he parted from him with a smirk on his lips. "Don’t forget to put it under his pillow and don’t forget to tell Altaїr and Malik." He grinned before he left to get back to his book and to his couch and to his now well-deserved sleep, only to leave Kadar behind with them kids again."Hey, no! Connor! Can't you take care of them until they are coming back? Really, I don’t think I'm good at this!" Kadar called after him, in desperate need for help. A tiny part of him was incredible lucky that the kids were at least no infants any more. However, Connor only laughed and waved at him, while he strode down the street."You got this!"Fucking douchebag. Wat did he do to deserve a family like this, leaving him behind with three children? Who in their right mind would leave him behind with kids anyway? Kadar kept staying in the doorway and could not bring himself to go back, though he heard them kids making a mess already again."Uncle Kadaaaaaar?" Sef again. Only Sef called for him like this and when Kadar turned around the little one had already put on his PJs and held his plush rabbit tightly in his arms. It was really not fair that Altaїr and Malik managed to create something so very cute. Moreover, it was not fair that Kadar needed to deal with that now."Yeeeees?" He sighed and closed the door with one last longing look out there."Will you tell me a story? Daddy always tells me a story. Papa sings, but he cannot sing. He is not very musical. He sings under the shower though." Kids. Well, at least that was something Kadar still knew, after all he had grown up in this house and he heard good old Altaїr trying to sing under the shower, which had been mostly interrupted by his brother (or any brother in this house) throwing soap at Altaїr."A story? I'm not very good at this." He sighed and Sef pouted and grabbed for his hand. Kadar could simply not resist and took the little hand to escort the little bugger upstairs and into his room while the twins were still up and making a mess out of the bathroom as it seemed."Uncle Dessy always tells me a story." Sef complaint and stifled a yawn before he climbed into his bed so Kadar could tug him in and sat down heavily on the mattress."Well, I could tell you a story about uncle Dessy." Kadar then grinned and made sure that the boy had it warm and comfortable and then stole his glasses to put them to the side so nothing could happen to them."About uncle Dessy?" Sef asked with big eyes, but clearly intrigued. Only his little night lamp illuminated the room now and Kadar grinned conniving. Desmond did not want him to tell anyone, but then again this was Kadar's little revenge."Yes. Do you wanna know with who he is on a date tonight?" Kadar grinned and of course, Sef nodded hastily. "Well, but you must promise that you won't tell anyone else!" Kadar then grinned and leant a bit closer over the boy for he knew that Sef would start giggling immediately – and he did. He really was a sweet child."Ouch! Uncle Kadar Darim hit me!"However,Uncle Kadar ignored the cry for help from the bathroom – well, kind of."Just hit back!" Kadar simply answered, before he sealed the promise of Sef not telling anyone anything with a pinky swear as real men did. Of course, he heard the sneaking footsteps, those treacherous sounds of thick, fluffy socks coming his way. "Dessy is on a date with his friend Shaun." Kadar then grinned and Sef's reaction would have been priceless, if it would not have been for his brothers standing in the doorway."No! Not another one! Oh man, we have enough uncles already, Uncle Kadar!" Darim complaint with a pouty face. "Don’t even plan on bringing a man home too!".It was late and they were a little bit tipsy, when Malik opened the front door (having more troubles of finding the keyhole than he liked to admit) of their lovely house. It was dark inside the building and almost eerily quiet. They had not planned on going to a bar after their meeting with the teachers to be honest, but somehow they did end up having a few beers and chatting with other parents. Of course, they were frowned upon by many, but those parents they joined tonight had not said anything negative about them or to them. Instead they had been praised for their twins today by most of the teachers and Altaїr's head was still somewhere in the clouds because of it.Quietly they looked after their kids only to find none of them in their beds. Later they found them and their uncle in the living room, camping on the big couch, all huddled together with blankets pillows and a legion of plushies."What did I say?" Malik grinned when he looked at his husband leaning in the doorframe. "He did a good job. We'll ask him again to babysit when Desmond is on the next date with Shaun." Because, of course, they knew.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"So … Why exactly are there standing shoes in front of the kids' doors?" Malik sometimes did not really know why he was even still questioning his husband's actions (or his kids' action for that matter). He was with Altaїr now … Well, far too long if anyone would really dare asking. They were a couple for eighteen years. So, yes, their relationship was an adult now (though still not legally allowed to drink hard alcohol in most states of the US), still his husband did not at all behave like an adult himself. It was quite marvelous from time to time. Maybe he would never lose his inner child, but though Malik liked to make a fuss about it, he secretly adored this trait of his husband.He just went upstairs to get changed from his work clothes into his casual clothes, when he spotted the boots standing in front of the kids' doors. It would be not so weird if they would stand there in pairs (though Malik had a quite strict policy concerning shoes standing around the hallway), but they did not. It was only the left shoes standing around uselessly. He did not get it, no matter how much he thought about it, so his only chance was to enquire at the source.When he entered their living room, there was a soft very Christmassy tune sounding in the background and Altaїr standing on a small ladder in front of their new Christmas tree, which they just bought two days ago during the heaviest blizzard Malik had ever experienced since he lived in Dorchester. Malik had never liked seeing his significant other standing on any ladder whatsoever, no matter how small it was or how many people might secure it. It simply was no right. However, of course, Altaїr could not wait until he was home to start decorating their tree. He should have known that the bloody thing would already be standing when he would come home. For Malik's liking, it was much too early anyway. Tomorrow was the sixth of December, so they still had a whole lot of December to go with the tree already standing and ready for Christmas. Well, hopefully the stupid tree would make it until Christmas at least for how expensive it had been.At least the kids were having fun helping with said tree and Malik did not want to be the party pooper ruining the moment, while their kids were running around, grabbing the decoration and hanging it into the tree as high as they managed tor reach. "Honey" He tried again after Altaїr seemingly had not heard him before (or decided to ignore him. Really, sometimes it was quite incredible how sudden his husband could turn deaf as soon as Malik wanted something from him) and when his head turned towards Malik, he could not help but frown a bit. He had a few little scratches all over his face (especially his nose) – very probably from the rather thick and pointed fir needles of the tree. This was only the suitable punishment for not waiting for Malik to come home and Altaїr did not deserve any pity therefore."What?" He asked clearly suspicious on why Malik decided to call him honey. He never called him honey. Well, that was not true either, but it was quite rare. They were not a couple that used pet names for one another – and when they did, no one was able to understand it."Why are there shoes standing in front of the kids' doors?" He tried yet again with a sigh, but as slowly as he could so Altaїr could read his lips, just in case he decided to go deaf again, when Sef came running towards him only to get scooped up. While Sef was still so small and clingy, his big brothers were quite the rascals. Hardly any day went by without them making a complete mess out of their house. Especially Darim. He could only hope that Sef would always be their little boy…"But Daddy!" The four-year-old exclaimed judgingly. Sef could be very judging for his age from time to time, but Malik did not mind, simply because that was a trait, he got from him as it seemed. "Tomorrow it Saint Nicholas Day!" Which did not help Malik understand at all."Aha. And what does that mean?" He asked, brushing through Sef's little curls. He was getting more and more similar to Altaїr with each passing day, as it seemed. Malik had seen a few photos of Altaїr being little of course and except for Sef's curls, they really did have a lot in common. Malik liked that. It really was cute."But Daddy!" Of course. Sef was growing impatient with his stupid dad, that was nothing really new to be quite honest. Instead of making a guilty face for not knowing, Malik simply decided it would be a great idea to smooch the boy to the cheek until Sef was squealing and squirming and trying to get away. "Tonight Saint Nicholas comes to our house and puts sweets and presents in our shoes!" Malik did not really question why any old man (probably with a long white beard) should even want to come to their house in the middle of the night to put sweets and presents into the shoes of their kids and he was sure Sef did not either.It turned out Sef had befriended the only German girl in his kindergarten and she, Linda, apparently told Sef everything he needed to know about German Christmas rites including Saint Nicholas. Sef very clearly did not really listen to her, for he had the attention span of a slice of toast, but as soon as the words presents and sweets fell, he had been all about Saint Nicholas Day and seemingly convinced Altaїr to try it too."You are well aware that we have to do this every year if we start this tonight, right?" Malik murmured, after he let Sef down again, because the boy immediately was up and about again and he for once this day managed to get close to Altaїr."So what are you proposing then? Shall we just not put anything in their shoes and let them wake up only to be disappointed?" Because of course Darim and Tazim joined Sef's train of thoughts. Those boys would always be on their little brother's side, when that meant they would get even more sweets and presents for Christmas, no matter if they really believed in this Saint Nicholas guy or Santa Clause for that matter. However, of course, all three of them still believed in good old Santa Clause and for all the kids in their big family they already organized their very own Santa this year - A very British Santa, which would probably smell a bit like rum. Then again, if it was for sweets and presents, those kids would believe in absolutely everything, even in the glory of the holy violet cow that gave cocoa instead of milk.Altaїr liked that their kids would grow up like this, believing in Santa Clause, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy, while he and his own brothers had not had this luck. Malik knew that his husband was thinking like this even though he would never state it directly, but Altaїr tried to give their children the carefree childhood he and his brothers never had.Malik sighed and finally helped Altaїr with the decoration of the tree, while the kids were rummaging the house again and probably made a mess out of the kitchen for some reason or another. Malik tried not to care too much right now. "Well … Of course not." He sighed. Of course, he could not stand seeing his kids disappointed, just as Altaїr could not stand this. He could already see Sef's watery eyes if he would be confronted with an empty shoe standing in front of his door, by the time the next morning would come. "But I still don’t think it’s a good idea." Because it was not. They could not spoil their kids rotten like this.Altaїr only smirked, placing the star on top of the Christmas tree.This night it was a bit harder to get their kids into bed. Sef was full of vim and jumped around ten minutes on his bed before Malik's dark frown made him crawl under his blanket. However, like the dutiful father he was, Malik had flung back the blanket again to stuff the legs of Sef's pajama pants into the boy's thick socks, before he tugged him in again. He did not want to risk him getting a cold again and only after he got his bedtime story and his plush teddy safely in his arms, it was finally peace and quietude within their house. The twins had been tugged in too in no time and the parents were sent to bed with one last demand of baby Sef to polish their best shoes and put them in front of their bedroom too, so Saint Nicholas would be able to put sweets and presents into them."You cannot be serious." Malik sighed, when he watched his husband cleaning the dirt from his boots. It was around ten PM and his husband really sat on the stairs, polishing his black leather boots he liked so much (and Malik detested for he looked like a tramp in them). Well, at least he cleaned both shoes and not just one."Wat?" Altaїr only asked with his tongue between his lips, highly focused on the task ahead."You are not polishing your boots to put them in front of our bedroom door." Malik clarified and resisted the urge to bury his forehead into his hand. It really was not that easy most of the times and required a great deal of self-control!"Of course I am, how would Saint Nicholas be able to put sweets and presents into them if I don’t?" Malik was sure that this statement made sense somewhere deep in Altaїr's brain, however he had given up on exploring the depths of Altaїr's mind a few years ago already."You are aware that we are Saint Nicholas, right?" Malik sighed shaking his head in disbelieve, especially as his husbands nose and ears turned a bright red. Dork."Of course I am." Altaїr then mumbled, when he was finally finished with his task and a bit proud as it seemed too. "But the kids expect us to play along, so I play along. Now polish your shoes!" He would not of course.While Altaїr marched upstairs to go to bed (and place his shoes in front of the door, fully believing that some old man would come to fill his shoes), Malik remained downstairs. There was still work to do and he could better concentrate in solitude downstairs.Later, around eleven PM he went upstairs to fill the boots of his loved ones with sweets and a few little presents, which he originally wanted to keep for Christmas, but put them in anyway now. At his bedroom door, Malik then stopped with a small yawn, looking down at Altaїr's very clean boot. The idiot really exceled himself with this mediocre task. Never (not even when he got the boots new from the store) his boots looked so clean and shiny. Malik smirked. Well, maybe his husband really deserved the sweets for this work and he could only hope the idiot would not step onto his present that lay inside the shoe. He opened the door slowly just to peek inside.Altaїr had fallen asleep with a book on his face. That was hardly new. Since they had kids, they tended to go to sleep quite early anyway (like cool parents did) and since they were both quite enthusiastic readers, it was not rare that Altaїr would fall asleep while reading. Though Malik liked to strangle his spouse when he decided 3 AM was the perfect time to start reading a new book, because he could not sleep. Normally it would not really bother Malik if Altaїr would start reading in the middle of the night, but according to Altaїr's logic, Malik had not the right to sleep peacefully if he could not sleep. Now Malik simply grabbed the book from his husband's ridiculous face and put it aside, after he put the bookmark into it – because he was a good husband and did not want to risk Altaїr's wrath of taking all the bookmarks from Malik's books in revenge.After he had changed into his PJ's he stopped again and then turned to walk out of the room again. Silently he crept downstairs and grabbed his left shoe. Malik rarely felt dumb, but when he did, it was for a very good reason, that was at least what he liked to tell himself. So, when he now put down his black leather shoe next to the already filled boot of his husband, he really felt stupid. Oh, so stupid. Oh well, what does one do for their children? Of course, he would not fill his own shoe, but if Sef would ask him why his shoe was empty the next morning, he would simply say that he had been a naughty boy and his son would perhaps understand and try to behave next year.Still, when Malik finally crawled under his blanket and felt Altaїr snuggling up to him, he had the warm, fuzzy feeling to have done something good.The next morning came with a squeak from the hallway – and then another. Darim of course was too cool to squeak in joy. Right beside him, Altaїr jumped out of his bed exited like a four-year-old, while Malik had no other choice than to just shove his head under his pillow and to try to ignore his family as best he could on that Saturday morning. He just listened (with a faint smirk) how Altaїr ran out of the room to examine his boot and how the kids were blabbering on the hallway. It was cute. Well, maybe he would keep up this new tradition. Quite a while Malik listened to the voices of his loved ones and the stomping feet of his youngest running around like a chicken that lost its head.Then Malik finally crawled out of bed. Listening was not enough, he wanted to see it too. And when he then left the room he almost stumbled over his shoe, only to find it filled with sweets and a little present. First, he was just confused and looked at his husband, but Altaїr clearly was too busy with examining the contents of his boot like the child he was. Of course, who else but Altaїr should have got up this night to put something in Malik's shoe? Then again … Malik normally noticed it when Altaїr left their bed, mostly because Altaїr was not so very discreet about it. Sneaky little bastard. Malik tried his best to not get noticed too much by his family when he picked up his shoe and looked inside. First, he disregarded the chocolate inside the shoe and just grabbed the very neatly packaged present. If this was in fact from Altaїr then he had let someone else package the small box. There was a tiny card attached to the present and curious as he was Malik started to read the card first.
Good job – Saint Nicholas
That was all. Just those four words. Malik chuckled lightly and grabbed Altaїr by the collar of his shirt to pull him closer, after the guy appeared in reaching distance again. "When did you even have the time to plan all this, Saint Nicholas?" He grinned when he stole a small kiss from Altaїr, but the younger male just blinked at him confused."What?" He asked, his mouth already full of chocolate, which Malik had tasted on his lips already. This guy, no matter his age, would never be anything but a big, big child."Oh you know exactly what I mean." Malik chuckled, but Altaїr shook his head, raising one eyebrow. He seemed concerned if he should check his husband for a fever. His facial expression was one of honest confusion, so Malik let him go."So you didn’t put this in my shoe?" He asked, showing him his present and Altaїr shook his head again. There was no way he was lying. His ears turned red when he was lying normally. "So who did it?""Saint Nicholas of course!" Sef chirped from the spot on the floor he sat on, examining his presents and sweets. There were a few things in that shoe, which Malik did not put in there! Malik was quite flabbergasted, but only looked down on his present again. The little card that had been attached to his present just moments before was now gone.What the bloody hell.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Darim was a rascal. That was hardly any form of breaking news to Altaїr. Darim was the one always making a mess out of their kitchen or his room and even in school, he was more like a hurricane on two legs than any other kid his age as it seemed. He had been like that the moment he was born and because of this he reminded Altaїr much on his younger brother Ezio. Moreover he was sure that Darim was influenced very badly by the Italian-stallion even this early on in his life. He was eight by now and the unquestioned head of the group of brothers he belonged to. He was the (not so silent) leader and his brothers were following him eagerly, especially his twin brother Tazim.So, it was hardly new that Darim would come home with scratches or ripped and dirty clothes from school or after he had been outside playing. He was that kind of little boy that always jumped head first into danger, while his (younger) twin brother was a little bit more careful and Sef too little and short-legged to keep up with his big brother's speed of chaos and havoc. Today though, when Darim came home from school, Altaїr was quite perplexed to see his son with a bloody lip. Darim, of course, tried to sneak past him as fast as he could without being detected by his father who was normally so engulfed by his work that he hardly ever noticed anything out of the ordinary, but sadly (for the boy), he did not manage to this time."Darim! What happened?" Altaїr asked, but far away from being worried. He was not angry either, for he was already used to his son getting into the most stupid fights again and again all the time and being angered by that was a waste of time and nerves. He was confused. Yes, that was the right word, he guessed. Outside it was snowing quite heavily and his little brothers followed the oldest not so very fast. When Altaїr left the living room to go after Darim, the front door was still wide open (for the other two boys) and he could see Sef and Tazim taking their sweet time and playing in the freshly fallen snow instead of coming inside.Darim stopped only when he reached the stairs but was grabbed by his dad's hand. He was still wearing his jacket and shoes, and already left wet shoeprints on the entire hallway. Malik would be furious, but Altaїr did not care right now."Nothing!" The boy moaned and freed himself to just stomp up the staircase and vanish into his room, leaving behind a very confused Altaїr.That was the first incident leaving Altaїr behind puzzled. Tazim only explained to him that Darim got into a small argument with some new kid in their class and had been shoved to the ground during the resulting fight, whereupon he had hurt his lip. Altaїr decided not to make a fuss because of this behavior of his oldest son and just let Darim go, wondering what had gotten into his boy.He was getting a bit more worried though, when he noticed that those incidents began to stack up a bit during the following week. While Sef and Tazim were still flabbergasted by the visit of Saint Nicholas last Sunday, Altaїr had to notice that hardly a day went by without his son Darim coming home with scratches and ripped clothes from getting into fights he did not want to talk about with his fathers."So, what's going on?" Altaїr finally asked when he sat down next to his oldest son, who was sitting in the living room on the sofa and stared into the TV, but to his surprise Darim only frowned at him in a way that made it very clear that he did not want to talk to him at all. He almost looked as if Altaїr had just ritually sacrificed his beloved teddy. Of course, Altaїr had talked to Malik about this whole situation and though Malik said that there surely was nothing to worry about and that boys will be boys, he could not help it."Nothing." He stated again and did not even bother turning his face to his father, but Altaїr grabbed him by the chin to turn the kid's face to him. "And why did you come home with a bloody nose today then? Are you being bullied?" Of course, some hysteric voice inside his brain was immediately worried that this could be because of him and Malik. Well, of course he knew that their kids would not have it all too easy with two fathers around their classmates, but until now they had never been bullied because of it! That had been his greatest worry when they decided to have children of their own, for he still remembered how it had been for Desmond and Connor back when Malik and he got together - but his brothers were tough cookies and knew how to deal with bullies right from the start. When their boys got into kindergarten he had been worried that the other kids would start questioning them and maybe even bullying them, but nothing like that happened. He still remembered how the other kids asked their sons about their two fathers and how Darim explained the situation. Kids this age were not so closed minded as some of their parents, so for them it had no big deal really. But now they were getting to an age when things started to get a bit rougher."No! Urgh daaaad!" The boy moaned and got up from the sofa to leave him behind again. Altaїr followed him immediately without even thinking about it. His oldest son was oh so hot headed it was ridiculous, really. He clearly got that from his uncle Ezio. "Is it because your dad and I?" He drilled further and noticed how Darim simply grabbed his jacket, reaching the coat rag near the front door."Nooooo, Dad!" Again Dad and not Papa. Ridiculous. "Just leave me alone!" Now his whole face was flushed bright red and so were his ears, which was normally a very good sign of Darim being highly embarrassed – though of course, Darim was normally way too cool to be even slightly embarrassed whatsoever. Normally."No, I won't!" Altaїr hissed when he followed his petulant eight-year-old to the door, well aware of the fact that another eight-year old-was peeking around the corner of the kitchen watching closely what was happening, while Malik was rummaging the kitchen preparing the cookie dough for the Christmas cookies, trying to ignore the ruckus Altaїr and Darim made. "Darim, tell me what's wrong!""No! You won't get it anyway!" Darim replied fiercely as if trying to the village idiot, before he opened the front door and stomped outside into the snow, after he jumped into his shoes and his brand new jacket."Where do you think you're going now?" Altaїr asked puzzled, but gave his best not to raise his voice too loudly, though he was slowly really getting pissed. After being a father for so long (because he liked to add the time he raised his younger brothers to his time of being a father), he managed to develop a high stress tolerance towards children and yet Darim was getting on his nerves slowly."To Uncle Connor!" Darim yelled and slammed the door shut behind him.Altaїr was flabbergasted (and glad Malik was not right behind him to witness his failure as a parent) by the anger his little one portrayed in that moment and in the same instant he was sure that Darim was not really angry at him. No, because suddenly Altaїr noticed that he had experienced that kind of behavior before with a petulant child."Oh amore!" Ezio snickered and gave his very best impression of an Italian pizza delivery man (or plumber) as he said it, using his hands as heavily as he could. It would have been believable for someone who did not know that Ezio had been raised in America entirely and never really got into contact with Italian people with exception of the Pizza-guy or Leonardo until he first went to Florence. "Amore, amore, amore!" At least Ezio had fun, he guessed. Yes, the way his brother was sitting on the large sofa made it very clear that he was having fun."Oh come on, he is way too young for amore!" Altaїr sighed, trying the same stupid hand gesture as his brother. He would have more luck with a more Arabian styled gesture he guessed, sadly he had no clue how Arabs behaved."No one is ever too young for amore!" Ezio laughed, but Altaїr only kicked him. "What it is true! Don’t you remember? Oh, my first love … I was only three years old and-""And she was your kindergarten teacher Mrs. McMullan. Anyway, Darim is not you and he is not in love with anyone. He is only eight years old." Altaїr growled, remaining stubborn on this topic, no matter if his brother might be even right about this whole situation or not. Simply because he didn’t like to think his son could have fallen in love already."And still he's in love with someone!" Ezio cackled."Why do you think that?" Altaїr finally sighed, giving in to his brother's stupid explanation for Darim's current behavior while outside the snow was falling and the kids were playing squealing with laughter."Because he tried to get advice from Connor about this problem." Ezio grinned. "Seriously, why did he go to Connor instead of me? He surely will get a few presents less this Christmas. I am a little bit hurt for not being his first choice in that matter."Now Altaїr got what his son meant when he said you won't get it anyway and suddenly he had a hard time not to laugh about Ezio's clearly hurt puppy-eyed look. "Because we are all gay except for Connor.""What about Dessy and Kadar? They are not gay for all I know, right? And I am technically not gay too." Ezio replied clearly surprised."You still bang Leonardo." Altaїr shrugged. "And Desmond just started to date Shaun." This was something Altaїr did not like at all. Ezio only grinned, because technically they still did not know about this affair for Desmond never told them and Kadar only told the kids. It was of course quite naïve of Desmond to think that they would not know anyway."And yet I managed to produce a daughter." Ezio grinned. Well, yes, that he managed in fact, just as Altaїr and Malik managed to produce three A+ quality sons (well almost, for little Sef was shortsighted which could be classified as production damage, if Sef would not be so ridiculously adorable with his thick glasses). Ezio was always radiating pride when the topic turned to his little daughter Flavia, though it had not been all too easy back then, when he and Leonardo had been separated for a few months and Ezio got his ex-girlfriend Sofia Sartor pregnant after a party."You really are lucky that Leonardo is not resentful." He sighed. To him it was a miracle how the artist had forgiven him so easily, but then again that was just Leonardo's way of seeing things, right? "So amore then. What do you know?""Her name is Evie…" The quiet voice of Tazim finally sounded from the living room door and nearly made Altaїr jump. He was normally very careful in what he said around the kids, mainly because Malik was extremely attentive to his language around their kids too and liked to scold Altaїr thoroughly if he said something rude around the boys. Something rude like banging someone, no matter that the kids did not know what that meant.Tazim was wearing his thick jacket and boots which were wet from the snow outside. His green beanie was covered in snow after an apparent snowball fight with his siblings and he had wrapped his green scarf tightly around his neck and jaw. His green gloves were so wet that they needed a wash and to be dried on the heater before their next use."So, Evie?" Altaїr then asked and knotted his brows. He never heard the name before and he couldn’t recall her name on the list of Darim's classmates either, after they had just had a meeting with the other parents and teachers two weeks ago (that infamous night when Darim lost his firth baby tooth and Kadar getting all hysteric because of it)."Yes … She and her brother Jacob are new on our school. Darim likes her." He then grinned sheepishly and Altaїr couldn’t help but laugh for the way his son said this. It was just as if Tazim lifted a veil or something like this. With just a few words the eight-year-old uncovered his big brother's most dangerous and well-kept secret as if it meant nothing. Being a big brother himself, Altaїr of course knew what that meant, if Darim would ever learn about that treachery of his twin brother."And he gets into fights with her brother Jacob because of this?" Altaїr then carefully tried to learn more about the situation. Well, if he would be that boy Jacob, he would not let any random eight-year-old boy try to get close to his sister too! He had been not at all glad, when he learned about Desmond and Lucy back in the day when his baby brother had been still a high school student, or when he learned about Connor and Aveline! If they had not been women, he surely would have gotten into fist to cuffs fights with those girls for trying to steal away his baby brothers!"No…" Tazim then answered and fiddled at his jacket. Well, there clearly was more. "He gets into fights with her."Later that day Altaїr found himself sitting in the kitchen, staring in disbelieve at his husband, as Malik had a nervous breakdown as it seemed. There simply was no other explanation at the moment than this for Altaїr. Why else would Malik laugh like a mad man? It was quite rare that Malik would break out in laughter like he did that very Sunday afternoon, while the snow was still falling to devour the whole of Dorchester and the sun was slowly setting to be swallowed by the forest all around."That’s not funny." Altaїr growled, when he leant back and crossed his arms in front of his chest in that very fashion Malik normally portrayed."Yes it is!" Malik answered, trying to get his breathing under control again - a task that was not at all easy when he was faced with his very serious and outraged younger husband."She punched our son!" Altaїr then exclaimed furiously and immediately felt like he did when his poor baby brother had come home with a bloody lip from Aveline for the first time."So what? Aveline punched Connor and now they're married." Malik laughed and seemingly had a hard time not to hit the table top with his fist in this sudden outburst of utter amusement. Altaїr only frowned. He did not like that. Yes, it was true. Aveline and Connor's relationship had started like this too - somewhat - but his son was only eight years old and not supposed to fall in love with a girl that liked to punch him!"I don’t like that." He pouted and gently kicked Malik against the chin underneath their kitchen table."Yeah, well, deal with it. Our baby is becoming an adult."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was already getting dark outside. The sun was slowly setting behind the treetops surrounding the small neighborhood they were living in on the outskirts of Boston. Altaїr loved this time of the year the most, though he was no Christian and not even believed in a god at all – not even in Allah. They were a bunch of heretics, to be honest and yet he loved Christmas. It was not so much (or at all) because of the presents and sweets or because his children liked it so much, but because of the whole feeling that came with the holiday season. He liked the candle light and the warmth inside his cozy fortress against the cold harsh reality of winter and he loved the laughter of his kids and brothers, all gathered around the large Christmas tree, which his sons and he had decorated.Today the house was already tearing at its seams with five kids running around (well one of them hardly ran around, but rather crawled or walked on still very wobbly legs) and his brothers were gathering all over the place. Altaїr loved having the house full with people. He loved that he stumbled over a brother or in-law in every room he entered. Desmond was launching in the kitchen (sitting on the countertop with his feet dangling in midair), snacking Christmas cookies like there was no tomorrow, until he would get shooed away by Malik. Connor was sitting on the stairs in the hallway and kept an eye on Sef who ran around like a little maniac, pacing back and forth between living room and kitchen and he could hear Ezio's laughter coming from the living room, while Kadar was plundering their storage room (he called it shopping, but he also called coming home to give them his dirty laundry going to the launderette)."Sooooooooooo" Connor grinned, after Sef vanished again in the kitchen to nag Desmond for cookies and Altaїr sat down heavily next to his brother, completely blocking off the staircase for every trespasser that might want to come this way."Sooooooooooo" Altaїr replied with a faint smirk."Christmas." Connor stated with a smirk still plastered onto his face. So close to his baby brother Altaїr really was amazed that there was not even a single hair spreading out of Connor's jaw. He could remember Connor being horribly frustrated when he had hit puberty and there was no beard to grow, no matter how hard he had tried. But for what hair he might miss on his body, he had on his head apparently."Yes, Christmas." Altaїr answered, enjoying this little game between him and his brother."Do you think Santa will come tonight?""Oh yes of course. I'm one hundred percent positive.""You said so my whole life and never Santa visited our house." Connor grinned. "I think you are lying, brother dear. I think Santa might not even exist!" He lowered his voice so little Sef would not hear him, when he was running across the hallway once again to go back to the living room (probably to get back up for his cookie mission). Altaїr made big eyes at his brother. "What? No! Of course he exists! You'll see tonight!"Camping in their living room for Christmas had become an exceptional difficult task, after their family extended so much. Little Flavia spend the day with Sofia, but would join the festivities tomorrow. Aveline and Jeanne would probably go home for the night, but the rest of them would stay in the living room. It would not be easy for Santa to sneak past them and go unnoticed, let alone sneak past them without stumbling over a person.A small part of him thought that he was getting too old for this, but then he saw his kids smile and grin and watched his brothers loafing around uselessly all around the place and felt strangely at ease. He did not even care that he needed to climb over various limbs that were scattered all over the place. After their usual dinner of pizza and ice-cream, Aveline parted ways with a soft smile, and little Jeanne on her arms, already sound asleep. Of course, Connor walked with them to ensure that they would get home safely, but Altaїr could see him jog down the street five minutes later again. Well, he would maybe never really forgive Aveline for inciting his baby brother to do stupid stuff back in the day, but at least she was cool and did not mind their stupid family traditions. They could be thankful for that. Aveline would have any right to make a scene, right? She would have any right to expect her husband home for Christmas Eve! Still Connor was here and slumped down on the sofa again. It felt almost as if they were back in the time when they had started this tradition.When it was time to sleep, Altaїr caught himself standing in the doorway and just looking at his loved ones. The kids were already lying snuggled in their blankets on their mattresses on the floor, just as well as Desmond who apparently drank a bit too much eggnog and was already snoring. For a bartender (and owner of said bar) he could not stomach much, which was something Ezio liked to test from time to time. Kadar was still browsing the internet on his phone, lying on his stomach in his sleeping back, while Connor apparently won the fight against Ezio for the couch. The Italian stallion now needed to share the mattress with Desmond - of course not without lamenting about the fact that Desmond's breath smelled like eggnog, after it had been Ezio who made him drink so much of this stuff.Suddenly Malik appeared behind him after getting dressed up in his best pajamas for this night and placed a kiss on his temple. Normally he would smack his ass or pinch his ear seeing him standing around uselessly like this, but because they had guests and because it was Christmas apparently Malik wanted to try a softer and more loving approach. Altaїr only grinned. "Happy?" Malik whispered to not gain too much attention from those still awake. It had been a long day and already Altaїr felt tired. They had spent the day with their kids, mostly outside, playing in the snow, but also scrubbing the house and doing what not to prepare for this night when they would all be together again here. It had become a quite rare thing for them to be at the same place at the same time. Of course, after all two of his brothers were already married and had kids of their own too. Life was not the same as it had been ten years ago and it was good as it was now. At least Altaїr still got this one night every year when he would have all his siblings at his place and act like they were still the old pack of wolves they had once been."Yeah." He grinned sheepishly and nudged Malik's shoulder. "You look incredible hot in this pajama." Malik only rolled his eyes and smacked him at the back of his head. The deal with Ezio still stood: no wooden objects and never too hard."Careful now or I won't let you sleep on the mattress with me." Getting all the mattresses down here had not been all too easy, but with the help of some of his brothers it had worked quite well. Now the twins were sharing a mattress, just as well as Desmond and Ezio. Altaїr and Malik would share the big mattress from their bedroom with Sef as it seemed, for the little guy was already lying there, waiting eagerly for his parents. Sef was a cuddler. Altaїr's grin only widened when he noticed his baby boy peeking at him from under the blanket."Oh well you have another man you can cuddle with now anyway, haven't you?" Altaїr grinned, but then he lunged at his boy on the mattress and buried Sef underneath him, who was squealing in joy over the attack and then tried to get away from his father's tickle assault."I should call child protective services." Ezio grinned, but Altaїr ignored him and only rolled under the blanket, pulling Sef into his arms without mercy. "It seems here is a kid that is getting tortured."Malik grinned, when he finally walked through the living room and sat down on the mattress too, the remote for the lights (yes they were fancy like this) already in his hands. "I guess you're right. Clearly he is getting tortured that poor boy.""Daddy?" Tazim moaned from his mattress, pulling the blanket higher and squinting his eyes. Of course the kids were already way past their bedtime and when Malik looked at him, before getting under the covers himself the boy blinked very slowly. "Is Santa really coming tonight?"Altaїr hid his grin behind the blanket he had pulled high into his face, after letting his baby boy go a bit, so Sef could take back his spot between him and Malik. Sef liked to have all the attention his parents could provide. He would leave it to Malik to answer that clearly scientific question while all the adults in the room (with exception of Desmond, for they never told him that Santa did not really existed and thus the baby could not possibly know the truth), knew the truth."Of course he's coming tonight." Malik replied with an almost affronted face, as if Tazim had just questioned the order of the entire universe. He was a good actor. "That is of course only if you have been good this year. Well I know that I was a good boy this year so at least I will get presents." Malik then stated very self conscious and maybe a bit arrogant, but it worked."I was good too!" Tazim replied clearly filled with indignation. "Darim always made trouble this year!""No I didn’t!" Darim replied and nudged his brother. Altaїr sighed. Well, it always started like this so better he would intervene before the twins would start fighting again."If Santa is not coming tonight because one of us was bad, than it clearly is Ezio's fault." The oldest brother simply stated and Kadar finally let his phone slip. This was clearly a discussion he wanted to follow with every bit of attention he had. His face clearly spoke of the crave for popcorn he suddenly felt to enjoy the upcoming show."Why me?" Ezio replied and looked at his brother with wide eyes. He could need a shave, but after all those years Altaїr was used to his brother looking like a total tramp. "I was a good boy this year, I promise! If you were to ask me I would say Kadar would be the one responsible if Santa is not coming tonight!"Now Kadar clearly was startled. "What? I have done nothing wrong!""But you are always playing with your phone." Darim replied dryly and hid a grin behind his blanket, while he tried to appear as serious as humanly possible (for an eight year old boy)."And you told the kids about Shaun and Dessy." Connor snickered. Altaїr did not even question from whom Connor knew about Desmond and Shaun. Well at least the baby was sleeping and wouldn’t know what they were talking about. For Desmond no one except Kadar knew about him and Shaun. Poor Baby."Yes that was very nasty indeed." Malik grinned and Kadar buried his face in his pillow."Bullocks" He pouted. "Anyway Santa will come tonight and you'll see I'll get my presents!"That was the question, was it not? Would Santa come tonight? Well, of course he would, after all they already arranged for Santa to come, no matter if they had been good boys or not, which meant all of them. After this little discussion, the kids fell asleep quite fast and Altaїr still held his little boy tightly in his arms when he himself fell asleep. He could not wait for the next morning when the kids would see the presents Santa was about to deliver. Every year his kids were trying to get a glimpse of the old man, but this year Altaїr was sure that they finally would get the long desired look at the old man.It was way past midnight, when Altaїr was shaken awake by his baby son and it took him a moment until he was even able to open his eyes and understand what Sef wanted from him. "Papa…" The boy whispered as quiet as he could, but alarmed enough so his father would understand the importance of the current situation. Altaїr furrowed his brows and just pulled Sef closer, but the little gremlin wiggled free again. "Papa! Santa!" The boy tried again and only then Altaїr understood what his little one wanted. He tried his best to hide his grin, but considering how dark it was the boy would not be able to see it anyway.In the dim light of the fairy lamps of the Christmas tree Altaїr could see the shadowy figure of a person rummaging the living room. If he would not know about the man he had invited in their home, he would have now jumped up to beat the living crap out of the stranger. But instead of doing that, he pressed his finger to his mouth. "Psssst!" He made so that Sef would be silent, while Altaїr could see his big eyes glistening in joy and excitement in the dim light. Santa had a little tune he was humming silently, while he was carefully and silently placing the presents underneath the tree. The whole ordeal took only a few moments and then Santa left through the door for they had no chimney."That was Santa, Papa!" Sef huffed when he looked up to him again and Altaїr grinned."Of course it was! I told you he would come!" Altaїr then stated and kissed his temple. It did not take long for Sef to fall asleep again, after all it was late at night and the little boy was excited to have the next morning come as quickly as possible, while Altaїr had a harder time falling asleep again. Sadly it seemed neither Darim nor Tazim had noticed Santa's visit, but at least Sef had seen the mysterious gift giver.Altaїr was glad everything had worked so well and he was right about to fall asleep again, when he suddenly heard the front door open. Had Santa forgotten something? Well, better feign sleep again, he guessed, so he closed his eyes, only to furrow his brows, as soon as he heard the noise Santa made this time. Before, Santa had been quiet and careful not to make noise, but Altaїr remembered instructing Santa to make a bit more noise so the kids would see him this time. Confused and alarmed he sat up."What the bloody hell?" Santa suddenly hissed silently and stopped right in his tracks, looking down on the piles of gifts in surprise."Be quiet!" Altaїr hissed and made sure that Sef was still sleeping soundly in his arms when he squinted his eyes to have a better look at Santa. He could be mistaken, but he thought that Santa suddenly had lost a few extra pounds. He had been surprised to see that Edward even stuffed his costume before, but now the stuffing was gone apparently. "Did you forget something?" He huffed, but then Edward turned around and his sac was still filled to the brim."What do you mean? I just arrived! And who ate my cookies?"