The Daddy Code
Title: The Daddy Code
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sebastian/Cooper
Summary: The Anderson-Smythes are on a road trip and somebody is cranky.
A/N: This is set in the daddies!coopbastian universe. It is a sequel to "Daddy, Will You Hold Me?", but can easily stand alone. The characters are based on seb and coop.
~
A loud screech accompanied by a cry of "Maddie, stop it!" made Sebastian jolt awake.
"Kids! That is enough! It better be absolutely silent back there for the next ten minutes or I am pulling this car over!"
Uh-oh. What had he missed? Last he remembered everyone was happily singing along to Disney songs, then he closed his eyes--just to rest them!--and apparently he had fallen asleep.
"But Dad--"
"Parker. What did I just say?"
The back seat fell quiet.
"Okay, babe?" Sebastian asked quietly.
"Donna did. What's going on back there?"
"The girls are antagonizing each other. Something about the Grover book."
"She took my--"
"Maddie! Do I need to pull over?"
Sebastian turned around and looked at his kids. Parker was playing on the iPad in the far back seat. Maddie was pouting (something she had perfected early on) and glaring at the back of Cooper's head. Donna, who was sitting directly behind Seb, was clutching The Monster at the End of This Book and smirking at her sister.
This was a disaster.
"Cooper, honey. Why don't we stop somewhere fun? Let everyone cool down a bit."
"Sebastian, I don't want to reward them for misbehaving."
"Honey, they're little kids. We've been in this car since six am. Let's at least sit down somewhere and have lunch."
Cooper sighed and put his hand back on the steering wheel. "Maybe we should drive through somewhere."
"No. The kids are getting restless, we need to do something other than sit in this car all day." Sebastian pulled his phone from his pocket and started looking for a restaurant in the next town. "We're going to stop at a restaurant and have lunch like a civilized family."
"Sebastian--"
"Cooper. We're not in a rush. If we get there later than planned, we'll be just fine. If we get there tomorrow we will be fine. The next exit is in three miles. Take it."
Sebastian crossed his arms and gave his husband a look.
Three miles later, Cooper exited the freeway.
Good choice, Sebastian thought.
* * *
"Feeling better, babe?" Sebastian asked, resting his arm on the back of the booth behind Cooper's shoulders.
Coop gave him a sheepish smile and nodded. "Yeah. Good call." He squeezed Sebastian's knee and winked. "Good thing I married such a smart man."
"Mmm, yeah you did." Sebastian kissed him quickly. “Keep that in mind next time you doubt me.”
“Daddy I want ice cream!”
“Oooh, me too!”
“I want strawberry!”
Sebastian groaned and shared a look with Cooper. The last thing they needed was more sugar in their systems.
But Seb had an idea.
“Remember how you married a smart man?” he whispered.
“Yes...” Cooper sounded hesitant. “What are you planning, Seb?”
“Just trust me.”
The kids were starting to scuffle in the bench across from them. Sebastian had to act fast.
“Hey! I think I have an even better idea than ice cream.”
He waited a moment for that to sink in.
Parker caught on first. “What kind of idea, Dad?”
The girls went quiet, looking at him expectantly.
Sebastian glanced over at Cooper and then back to the kids. “Well, we don’t really have to be to Phoenix until tomorrow. I was thinking...what if we spend the rest of the day at the beach?”
Cooper stiffened beside him and Seb bit his lip, keeping his eyes trained on the kids (who were now squealing in their excitement) and pointedly ignoring his husband’s gaze.
“That’s cheating, Seb,” Cooper muttered.
It was cheating. Suggesting something big to the kids before discussing it with your husband was a big no-no according to the daddy code, but sometimes rules needed to be broken. For the greater good.
“I’m sorry, babe. You’ll thank me later.”
Cooper frowned and shrugged Seb’s arm off his shoulder. Apparently he was going to sulk. Sebastian pulled his arm away and fiddled with his wallet, leaving cash with the check. He took a last sip of his drink and then stood from the booth, gesturing for the kids to follow. “Come on. Let’s go before your dad gets too mad at me.”
Parker gave him a calculating look, but the girls were already running through the restaurant and didn’t catch what he said. “Why is Dad mad at you?” Parker asked as Cooper jogged past them after the girls.
“Because I didn’t ask him first about the beach,” Sebastian said, putting his arm around his son and hugging him to his side.
“But aren’t you both in charge?”
“Yeah,” Sebastian said, watching as Cooper caught up to the two girls and held their hands while they crossed the parking lot. “But that means we’re a team, so we work together to make decisions for the family.”
“And you didn’t work together to decide to go to the beach?” Seb frowned. “No, we didn’t.”
When they reached the car, Sebastian let go of Parker and helped him hop into the car. He shut the door behind his son and made eye contact with Coop through the windows. They exchanged a couple blinks and then Seb got into the passenger’s seat, silent.
They were only twenty minutes away, but it was a long ride to the beach.
* *
After making a quick stop at a local drug store--Seb ran in to buy some beach supplies while Coop stayed in the car with the kids--they arrived at the boardwalk. They were able to find a decent parking spot, thank goodness, and they spent about fifteen minutes getting all the kids dressed and covered in sunscreen. Sebastian managed to catch Cooper’s eye only once in that whole time. He didn’t look too happy.
Finally they were on their way down to the beach, Coop walking ahead with a girl clutched tightly in each hand. Sebastian made Parker hold his hand (much to the boy’s chagrin) and followed after the rest of the family. They found a relatively quiet spot and set up camp, Cooper helping the kids take off their shoes while Seb laid out a couple beach mats.
“I wanna play in the water!” Maddie said, tugging Cooper’s hand eagerly.
“Me too!” Donna pulled on Cooper’s other hand.
Cooper followed them toward the water without a word to Sebastian.
Seb sighed.
“Dad’s mad,” Parker said.
“Yeah.”
Sebastian smiled sadly down at Parker. And then his sweet son gave him a big hug and said, “It’s okay, Daddy. You guys should just kiss. That’s how you’re supposed to make things better.”
“Is that how it works?” He squatted down and pulled Parker into a full hug, resting his chin on Parker’s little shoulder. He watched as his husband led their daughters a little closer to the ocean, jumping when the waves hit their feet. “Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll take that into consideration.”
He held onto Parker a little longer than necessary, only letting go when he started to squirm and said, “Daaaad, come on.”
Sebastian laughed. “Okay, okay. What do you want to do? Do you want to play in the water?”
“I want to build a sand castle.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan.”
Parker plopped himself down on the sand next to their stuff and started pushing it around with his hands. Seb watched as he filled a bucket with sand and tried to make it stay in position. It wasn’t working very well.
“Need some help, buddy?” Seb said, holding back a chuckle.
“It doesn’t really look like a castle.” The boy was frowning at the little pile of sand.
“Maybe we should go a little closer to the ocean and use the wet sand?” Sebastian suggested.
“Okay!” Parker grabbed the bucket and ran down toward the ocean, Sebastian shouting after him to wait and running to catch up.
It took a solid hour for them to build an epic sand castle. They dug a moat, built seven turrets, and even decorated the entryway with broken bits of sea shells that they found nearby. By the time they were done the waves were approaching the outer walls and Parker was asking to go play in the water.
“You have to put your bucket away first,” Sebastian said.
“Fiiiiiine!”
While Parker sprinted back to their spot to deposit the bucket, Sebastian glanced down the shore where Cooper and the girls were still playing in the water. They were a little ways into the water, and Coop had Donna on his shoulders. Maddie, who knew how to swim, was clinging to his arm. Seb couldn’t see their faces, but from the way they were splashing and giggling he could tell they were having fun. He tilted his head to the side and watched, a little smile on his face. Cooper looked a lot more relaxed than he had been just an hour ago. And definitely better off than before lunch.
But Seb still felt a little pang of guilt for breaking daddy code.
“Let’s go!” Parker shouted, appearing next to him and grabbing his hand. He dragged Sebastian to the edge of the water (“Ah! Slow down, Park, it’s cold!”) and then down the beach to the rest of their family.
“Come on, Dad!”
Sebastian gritted his teeth and followed Parker into the water, keeping a death grip on his hand. The ten-year-old was hardly phased by the cold. They waded out to Cooper and the girls, Parker getting completely soaked by a particularly large wave. “Come here, you,” Seb said, lifting Parker into his arms.
“Daaaad, stop it, I’m not a kid! I can walk!”
Sebastian snorted and held him tighter. “You are so a kid. And the ocean is dangerous, okay? I just want you to be safe.”
Parker pouted but got over it quickly when they reached the others.
“Hey,” Seb said, nudging Cooper with his arm.
“Hey,” Coop said back. He kept his eyes trained on the girls, though.
“Maddie, don’t splash!” Parker whined, his legs kicking against Seb.
“Ouch, Park.”
“Dad, can I pleeeease just swim on my own?” Parker begged.
Sebastian glanced around. They weren’t very far out, and there weren’t too many people nearby. “Okay, but you have to stay right here with us, got it?”
“Yes!” Parker broke away from him eagerly.
“I wanna swim, too!” Donna cried from Coop’s shoulders.
“I don’t think so, sweetie,” Cooper said.
“Come here, baby, I’ll hold you in the water.” Sebastian reached up and took Donna into his arms.
She screeched when she hit the water. “It’s cooold, Daddy!”
He chuckled and hugged her close to his body, rubbing his nose against her cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ll keep you warm okay?”
Maddie was just hanging on Cooper’s arm, her legs kicking lazily in the water. She looked a little tired. Sebastian studied Cooper’s face and found that he, too, looked like he could use a rest.
“Five more minutes in the water, kids, then we’re going to take a rest on the beach,” Sebastian said, making eye contact with Coop. His husband nodded gratefully.
“But Daaaaad, we just got out here!”
“I know, Parker, but we’ll have plenty of water time later. It’s time for these guys to take a break.”
“Why can’t we stay? They can go rest and we can keep playing.”
“You need to rest too, Park, you’ve been playing hard for an hour already.”
“But--”
“Parker Ellis Anderson, what did I just say?”
Parker snapped his mouth shut and pouted.
“I hope you’re not giving your dad attitude,” Cooper chimed in.
Parker huffed and started swimming back to the shore.
“Guess that’s our cue to head out,” Seb said, glancing over at Cooper.
He nodded and started making his way through the water, dragging Maddie along until it was too shallow and then lifting her into his arms. Sebastian trailed behind him, Donna shivering against him when they hit the air. He rubbed her arms with his free hand as they walked toward their things, keeping her warm until he could get a towel and wrap her up. Cooper was helping the other kids dry off when Seb and Donna caught up to them. Sebastian grabbed a big towel and wrapped it around his daughter, pulling her close again. Hopefully the body heat would help her warm up.
Luckily, the sun was shining and the sand was warm. The kids, all bundled in their towels, sat on one of the bamboo mats, leaning against each other, soaking in the heat from the sun. Cooper sprawled himself out on the second mat, his arm thrown across his eyes, chest sparkling with the drops of water that were still clinging to him. Sebastian bit his lip. The kids were all quiet, everyone was calm, and he was sick of the silence between him and his husband.
It was time to make up.
He stretched out on his stomach right next to Cooper, flinging his arm over Coop’s abs and resting his chin on his chest. Cooper lifted his head and looked down at him.
“Hey,” Sebastian said.
“Hey,” Cooper repeated.
Sebastian ran his hand lightly across Cooper’s skin and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry?”
“Is that a question, Seb?” Cooper said, laying his head back down.
Sebastian frowned. “No. No, it’s not.” He scooted up the mat, bringing his head level with his husband’s. He touched Cooper’s cheek and rubbed his thumb against his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have broken the daddy code.”
Cooper raised an eyebrow. “The daddy code?”
“Yeah, you know. The thing that says you shouldn’t make big decisions without consulting your co-daddy first.” Sebastian leaned down and kissed Cooper’s jaw, his nose nudging Coop’s arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first. About the beach.” He moved his hand up to Coop’s hair and brushed it off his forehead. “Are you still mad at me?” Cooper sighed. He moved his arm from his face and angled his head so he could meet Sebastian’s eyes. “No. Not anymore.”
Sebastian nodded. “Okay. I’m still sorry, though.”
And then Cooper’s hand was in his hair, pulling him closer for a brief kiss. Sebastian smiled in relief, his whole body relaxing against Coop’s. They kissed again, quickly, and then Seb nuzzled his face into Cooper’s neck.
“I love you,” Cooper whispered.
“I love you, too.”
“Sorry I was mad.”
Sebastian just kissed his cheek.
They lay in quiet for a few minutes, content to soak up each other’s presence, before Cooper spoke again.
“I think the kids fell asleep,” he said.
“Really?” Sebastian pushed himself up and looked over at the other mat. The kids were all leaning against each other, and both girls had their eyes closed. Parker’s eyes were fluttering open and shut, clearly on the edge of sleep.
“Do you think we should pack up in the car and go?” Sebastian asked.
Cooper hummed and studied their children thoughtfully. “I think we should get a hotel and stay here for the night. We can drive into Phoenix tomorrow.”
Sebastian smiled and kissed Cooper’s cheek again. He smoothed his hand over his hair and leaned their foreheads together. “I think that’s a fantastic idea.”
His husband smiled back up at him. “I did marry a pretty smart man.”
“You really did.”