#dad!seb

“It’s almost seven; we should probably get the kids up.” Sebastian said to his wife as if his arms were wrapped around her, holding her close.

“Hmm, yeah.” Matty sighed, shifting closer to him, the sleep still evident in her expression.

In order to get some time with each other before the kids were up, they’d purposefully wake up early every morning. Sometimes it was interrupted if one of the kids had woken up early and decided to go to their room, but for the most part it was uninterrupted and peaceful.

“You want to stay here for a bit longer?” Sebastian asked, looking down at her as he realized she was still tired.

Matty chuckled. “Of course I want to. I’m in bed with the most attractive man alive—but I also let myself have said man's babies, so I have to take care of them too.” She giggled.

Sebastian laughed, shaking his head. “I hope you don’t regret that decision, at least.”

“Not at all and not ever.” She smiled, giving him a kiss.

After finally working up the motivation to get out of bed, Matty made her way downstairs to the kitchen while Sebastian got out of bed and down the hallway to his kids bedrooms. It was always easier to wake up the older ones first since they could basically get ready on their own.

Sebastian knocked on the boy's room door first, and after no reply, he gently opened the door. Both boys were still fast asleep in their beds. He chuckled before moving to Eleazar’s bed first, giving him a gentle shake. “Ele, it’s time to get up.” He said quietly but just loud enough to get the boy's attention.

Eleazar’s eyes fluttered open just moments later, blinking the sleep in his eyes away. The boy was nearly eight years old and always insisted on being the first one up so he could help Mummy and Daddy with their chores. At first, they would only wake him up first every once in a while, knowing it was okay for him to sleep in, but after he had made it very clear that he wanted to be the first one up to help with his siblings, they made a mental note to not slip around that and to just wake him up first.

“Good morning, bub.” Sebastian said, leaning down to kiss his son's forehead.

“Morning, Dad,” Eleazar replied, rubbing his eyes.

“You need help getting dressed?” Sebastian asked him as he stood up, making his way over to Marcellus’s bed. Eleazar shook his head and slipped out of his bed.

“No thank you, I can do it myself today.” He replied, his voice slightly determined. (As much as a seven-year-old could be, that is.)

Sebastian nodded his head and turned his attention to his four-year-old, who was still snuggled up against his pillows and blanket, fast asleep. Marcellus was the third child and a carbon copy of Sebastian. From his hair, his eyes, freckles, and even down to his smile. Sebastian had finally gotten that mini-me that he so desperately wanted, for better or for worse.

But, just like his father when he was younger, Marcellus hated getting up in the mornings, and it was always a hassle to get him up and ready. “Marcel, it’s time to get up.” Sebastian said, trying to shake him awake gently. But no budge, and Sebastian knew Marcellus wouldn’t wake up easily.

He chuckled before just deciding to pick the boy up from his bed. Instantly, Marcel didn’t seem happy about this, but once he opened his eyes and realized it was just his father, his head laid on his dad's shoulder, and he relaxed. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” Sebastian chuckled, taking a step back from the bed. “You still sleepy?”

Marcel nodded his head but made no effort to say yes; he just stayed clinging to his father. Sebastian left the boys’ room with Marcel still in his arms. He made his way to Caroline’s room and knocked on the door.

But much to his surprise (not really), Caroline opened the door just seconds later. She was awake and fully dressed already. The five-year-old was the most determined child they had ever met. From a very young age, Caroline had insisted on doing things herself after learning. She had already taught herself how to read and write, could tie her own shoelaces, and could get up and dressed all by herself.

Needless to say, Matty and Sebastian were very proud of their little girl. They tried their best to help contribute to her education and her interests. They joked that they had a Ravenclaw in the making, which they probably did.

“I’m awake,” she said, looking up at her father.

“I can see that. And dressed too, good job.” Sebastian chuckled, leaning down so he could give her a kiss on the forehead. “Good morning, sweetie.”

Caroline just gave him a smile, hugging his leg a little. “Where’s Mummy?”

“Downstairs in the kitchen, she’s making breakfast.” Sebastian answered. “Are the twins still asleep?”

Caroline nodded her head, “Mhm.” She replied before slipping past her father and making her way down to the kitchen to help Matty with breakfast.

Sebastian turned to go to the nursery room. Now this was the hard part. Dealing with two one-year-olds while handling a sleepy and grumpy four-year-old was definitely not the easiest thing in the world. He usually had to convince Marcel to go do something with Caroline and Eleazar, since he was always wanting to do things with his older siblings.

So right before he got to the nursery door, he crouched down to try and slide Marcel off of him so he could talk to him about going to the kitchen. Marcel made a sound of displeasure, holding tighter onto his dad's shirt.

Sebastian chuckled. “Hey bud, I gotta get your little siblings up, okay?” He spoke softly, trying to coax the little boy to let go. “I need you to get down, alright? You can go be with Mummy, Ele, and Caroline in the kitchen, okay? Go help in there.”

Marcel shook his head. “No,” he mumbled.

“Please? I gotta get your siblings up.” Sebastian insisted.

Marcel just shook his head again, and Sebastian sighed, knowing he’d have to make a deal with the little boy in order to get what he wanted. He was sure he acted the same way with his mother and father when he was his son’s age. Karma, he was sure of it.

“If you go now, we can sit down together and work on your reading later, okay?” Sebastian tried to coax him. Matty and Sebastian were usually focused on their two oldest when it came to reading and writing since Marcellus wasn’t quite there yet. He could spell his nickname, knew his ABCs, and a few other words; that was just about it.

But the thing about Marcel is he loved doing whatever Caroline and Eleazar were doing—which meant when he saw them practicing their reading, so did he. And he especially loved it when Matty or Sebastian sat down with him specifically to help him. And they enjoyed it too, of course. They were very proud of him for wanting to learn and tried to help out where they could.

So, that offer got Marcel’s attention. “Promise?”

Sebastian smiled. “Absolutely. Go down to the kitchen; we can eat, get you dressed, and work on some reading, okay?” He said sincerely.

Marcel nodded his head and finally let go of his dad, letting his little grip slip off of his shirt. And off to the kitchen he was. Sebastian could hear the little boy greeting his mummy, followed by Matty’s sweet voice telling the boy good morning and kissing his forehead.

That woman loved her children so much, and Sebastian loved her even more than he already did for that. He couldn’t imagine life without her or anybody else being the mother of their children.

Now it was time to get the twins up, possibly the hardest task of the morning. He was sure it was easier for his parents with him and Anne. Since after all it was just him and his sister with no prior children like he had. Sometimes he still questioned how his parents did it, but he was learning, and he loved his children.

He slowly opened the door and stepped inside, seeing the two cribs just a little bit apart from each other. For the most part, both of them were decent sleepers, hardly waking up in the night. And that was a huge relief for two sleep-deprived parents.

A year ago, their family was blessed with the last additions to their family. Twins, Adonis and Anne. A little boy and girl that completed everything. They were only expecting one, thinking that four would be the perfect number for their family. However, a minute after Adonis was born, Anne came along, causing quite the shock for everyone in the room. Somehow the little girl had gone undetected in every single medical appointment Matty had ever had.

But the shock aside, Matty and Sebastian would never have it any different. The little girl, who they had named after Sebastian’s sister, was a blessing in their life. Both of them were. Handfuls, sure, but they loved them.

The twins had been born a bit earlier than expected, and obviously that brought some health struggles, and they got sick more than other kids their age did, but regardless, both parents were just happy that they had two decently healthy babies. They were perfect.

Now the both of them were a year old and almost dead ringer for their mother. Both children, blonde hair and blue eyes. So, Matty had managed to get more kids who looked like her, but Sebastian had got his mini-me, so he didn’t complain.

Sebastian went over to Adonis’ crib first, scooping the little boy up into his arms carefully. Once he had woken up, he let out a few cries, unhappy about being woken up, but Sebastian quickly shushed him gently, putting the still sleepy baby at ease. He then made his way over to Anne’s crib, looking down at her.

It definitely wasn’t easy getting two babies up at the same time, but Sebastian had developed methods of helping. And the easiest one was to wake Adonis up, getting him to play while he woke Anne up and got her ready for her day and then swapping.

“Hey, want to play for a minute?” He asked Adonis, as if the boy could somehow understand him. He had to be careful when he put him down to see if Adonis would even allow himself to be put down. Thankfully, this time, Adonis only let out a couple of cries before getting distracted by a few of his toys.

Sebastian chuckled at how quickly his son changed emotions. Kids were definitely funny that way. From screaming to content in two seconds, it seemed.

He turned to his daughter's crib and gently picked her up, being sure to be careful. He cradled the little girl in his arms, making sure not to make any sudden movements that might disturb her. It was easier to get them dressed half asleep than awake and squirming around.

While Adonis was playing with his teddy on the floor, babbling about and probably slobbering over everything since he was teething. Sebastian skillfully got Annie dressed, and by the time he had finished, she was awake, her big blue eyes looking up at him. “Well, good morning.” He chuckled down at her, giving her nose a little kiss.

Anne just let her head fall in between the crook of his neck, still clearly sleepy. He turned around, looking at Adonis, who was still occupied with playing with his toys on the floor. “Now… how do I get you dressed when this one is definitely not going to let me put her down?” He said out loud, mostly just to himself.

“I can help dress the baby,” Ele offered from behind him, his presence unknown to his father until now.

Sebastian turned around, looking down at his oldest. “Are you sure?” He asked, knowing that dressing a one-year-old wasn’t exactly the easiest task.

Eleazar shrugged. “I can try to help.” He replied meekly.

“Well, I have a feeling he’s going to give you a bit of a hard time. So why don’t you take Anne and let her rest on you for a while while I get him dressed?” Sebastian offered, trying to make the situation easier for the both of them.

“Okay!” Eleazar replied enthusiastically. He loved all of his younger siblings, but there was always something special about the new baby. (Even if that baby was a year old by now)

He made sure he was sitting down, already ready to hold Anne. Sebastian gently placed her into Ele’s arms, making sure he had her secure. “You got her?” He asked, to which Ele just gave a little nod of his head. Sebastian gave him a little wink before turning his attention to his youngest son.

As expected, he was a little bit of a pill over having to get dressed, but eventually, he was all dressed and ready for his day, which wouldn’t consist of anything more than it did on other days.

He shifted Adonis to one arm and took Anne up from Eleazar in the other. It had taken him a bit, but he had practically mastered carrying two kids at once after becoming a father of five. Soon, he was finally making his way to the kitchen where his wife and the other kids were.

Sure enough, they were all in there. Matty was working on breakfast while Marcel was sitting opposite on the counter, looking over what his mummy was doing. Caroline was sitting at the table, waiting patiently, and Eleazar was walking down right behind his dad.

When Matty heard Sebastian’s footsteps, she turned around, seeing Anne and Adonis in his arms. A big smile appeared on her face, seeing her two youngest. “Good morning!” She cooed, leaving what she was doing for a moment to walk over to Sebastian and give the twins both good morning kisses.

“I can take one,” she told Sebastian, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

“Are you sure? Not too much trouble while you’re trying to make breakfast?” Sebastian asked, just to be sure.

Matty rolled her eyes and flicked her hand, as if brushing it off. “I’m sure; now give me my child.” She laughed, taking Adonis into her arms. “Besides, breakfast is almost ready. Thank you for getting the kids up and dressed, darling.”

“Of course,” Sebastian smiled.

He walked over to get the table all situated, passing by the counter. “Alright Marcel, time to get down. Can’t be on the counter forever.” He said, hooking his free arm around the little boy and taking him off of the counter.

“Aww,” Marcel huffed, upset he could no longer go to watch his mother cook at an arguably close proximity.

“Go sit down, bud,” Sebastian said, ruffling his hair.

Soon, breakfast was ready, and all the kids were down at the table. It was always nice to have everybody together and not have one parent rushing to eat, get ready, and get out the door for work. Matty and Sebastian always cherished moments like these with their children, as they were always the thing that came first—the most cherished thing to them.

And yeah, it was hard being a parent sometimes, but it was worth it.