Prompt: i asked you to babysit one time and now my child keeps asking when you will spend time with them again

It's all Aiden's fault, really.

In the two weeks since Eli asked AJ to babysit for him while he took his mother out to dinner he had heard nothing from Aiden but whining and begging for AJ to come back. AJ this, AJ that, honestly! Eli was starting to feel left out. After the five year old's relentless begging and countless promises to clean his room and do ALL the chores and get good reports from his preschool, Eli gave in.

"Hey man, are you doing anything friday night?" Eli asks over the phone. He hears the flipping of pages while AJ looks through his weekly planner, because AJ is the kind of organized nerd who actually owns a paper one instead of just using his phone.

"Doesn't look like I have anything planned after four. I'm free until saturday evening." AJ says, rolling his eyes when Eli snickers over the line. "Yes Eli, I'm aware that I'm a boring nerd for using a planner. At least one of us is organized." He mumbles the last bit. "Did you have something planned or did you just call to laugh at me?" He jests.

"I thought you could come over for dinner and a movie if you're up for it." Eli offers.

"Eli, are you asking me on a date?" AJ mock swoons over the phone. Eli makes a disgusted sound on his end.

"Ha. Ha. As if. The munchkin wants you to come over and play with him. Promised to clean his room and everything." That gets a laugh out of AJ, who agrees to come over on the condition that Eli cooks.

Friday night AJ comes over as promised and little Aiden is over the moon. Eli cooks with Aiden's help, and the three squish onto the couch and watch one of the newer pokemon movies. The next week AJ offers to bring pizza and they wind up watching and old Disney film. It becomes sort of a weekend tradition. AJ comes over on friday evenings, plays with Aiden, and the three of them watch kids movies until Aiden falls asleep. Eli laughs at AJ when he sees that 'movie night with Eli' is carefully penciled in on every friday of AJ's stupid planner, but the fact that it's important enough to be part of AJ's official schedule makes Eli smile.
It's not until they're halfway through The Lion King, about four months into the routine that AJ notices something is different.

"Is something missing? It seems quieter than usual tonight." He muses. Eli laughs at him.

"Maybe the fact that my kid isn't here? You didn't notice?" AJ realizes that Eli is right, there's no tiny body draped over their legs or making a mess of the popcorn.

"Well I don't exactly come over to see your five year old." The admission brings a kind of tension to the otherwise relaxed atmosphere. The two men shift awkwardly in their seats, not sure how to proceed.

"Well, uh, maybe I could get my sisters to take Aiden every now and then?" Eli ventures, unsure. "We could actually go out for dinner."

"Are you asking me on a date?" AJ's questions, just like he had months ago when Eli first invited him over.

"Maybe I am."

Their friday night movie gig continues, but every few weeks Aiden gets sent to his aunt or his grandma, and AJ and Eli go out for a proper adults-only movie date. AJ still carries his paper planner, but now friday nights are clearly marked as 'date night with Eli'. Eli still laughs at AJ before kissing him. He likes that he's important enough to have his own half day blocked out of AJ's schedule, but that doesn't mean it's not stupid.