(no subject)
Who: Sam, Junior, and Grandpa Danny
What: Hanging out while Oceans are visiting LA
When: Midafternoon
Where: Restaurant
Why: Because Amy wanted it. And I have a problem with saying no to things that make me giggle.
"So, wait, and then what?"
"I have no idea yet."
Sam frowned, making sure to keep an eye on the three year old who'd attached himself to his side, then sitting in his lap, instead of sitting on his own for the last twenty minutes... And was now trying to get away to check things out around the restaurant. "... Okay, Junior, come on." He put him in his own chair, irritated.
And in under a minute was on the business end of a forlorn blue eyed look that begged to come back again. "... Alright." He picked him back up, rolling his eyes at both the lack of will power exhibited there, and the hug he recieved after.
Also, the statement that could be made about how he was really growing up to be a lot like his father. He could hear Carly laughing inside his head.
But instead of her being there to actually laugh at him, Sam merely caught the smirk that Danny showed while he hugged his son. And he tried to ignore it, for the sake of sticking with denial on what this reminded him of. "This is the new thing now. I have no idea where the h-- heck it's coming from." Points for censorship.
Danny chose not to run with that. Just this once. Sam was a friend, after all. "I wouldn't know." He shrugged, sipping some of his whiskey. "Tess gets that, not me." And some insecure father instinct way deep down inside him had to wonder, well, what did that say about him?
After all, Brandon had a tendency to haul ass to Rusty. Granted, a lot of the time he was in trouble first with Isabel. But outside of that, when he was just in the mood, as kids often could be...
No, it didn't say anything.
... He didn't think so. ... Right?
... Right. Moving on.
"Carly usually gets it," Sam admitted, drinking his soda and shifting a little to get more comfortable with Junior in his lap. Although he was sure in about ten minutes, his legs would be asleep. And then, damn it, Junior was going back in the chair. "But when it's only one of us, or neither of us, it's sort of whoever he's with. And I swear to God, I hope this is a phase."
Danny just shook his head, laughing under his breath. And Sam's being comfortable with Carly being the one who got clung to more out of the two of them made him feel considerably more stupid about his own little insecurity, so he pushed down, leaning back in his chair. "So this photoshoot in Madrid..."
"... Is like it's not even happening until I have to go." Sam rolled his eyes and drank down the rest of his soda, setting the glass down with a finality only a man who was very aware of walking the thin line between life and death would bring.
Because really, while you couldn't blame her for getting a little tense about Sam getting on planes... Sam still spent every day before the trip, sometimes two, three, or more weeks in advance, being on his best A-1 behavior in every last sense of the word.
And sometimes couldn't help wondering if maybe some of Carly's getting tense was just to get that out of him. Once again... He wouldn't blame her.
And so Danny nodded, watching Junior take Sam's glass and play with it idly. And then the look of quiet aggravation when Sam took the glass back and put it out of his reach on the table to keep him from breaking it. And Danny found himself smirking again, amused. Not Sam that time. Definitely Carly.
Sam ignored the look, keeping his eyes on Danny so it wouldn't get to him. "And this thing with Tess?"
"... I'll work it out." He snorted under his breath, then drank down the rest of the whiskey with that same air of finality from before, and set the glass down calmly.
"And if you don't?"
"I will." Danny was sure he had to stop completely banking on his ability to work things out with Tess someday. But by now, he was fairly sure he knew when to use the right words -- and possibly bring home something nice just in case -- and when to, well, get down on your knees and grovel.
In a sense. Metaphorically. ... Sort of.
"Whatever you say." Sam shrugged, figuring if anyone knew, it was Danny. And maybe Rusty, when Isabel wasn't so focused on being the trip she was and making it harder for things to work. Although, over the years, that'd calmed some. But he didn't see it ever going away completely.
He looked up when the waitress finally came back to them, smiling prettily in that completely fake way you'd only find in Los Angeles. "Hi."
"Hi. Are you ready to order?"
Sam nodded, glancing down at the menu. "Yeah, I'll have--"
"Oh my God, is he yours?" The waitress lit up as she noticed Junior, who was now playing with a fork, and her smile became genuine. "He's so cute!"
Sam blinked a few times, then looked down at Junior and flinched at the fork, sighing and taking it away from him again. And the aggravated look doubled. "... Yeah." He smiled. "He's mine."
"Adorable, oh my God. How old is he?"
"Three."
And for once, Danny was glad not to be involved in this conversastion. Because every time he'd gone through it when he was with Jackie, it was always annoying. All these questions about a kid they wouldn't even remember in under an hour, maybe even less, when the parent who was being interrogated just about always had something else to do.
"And what's his name?" The waitress asked, waving at Junior when he looked at her, and not seeming to be bothered in his moving closer to his father instead of waving back.
Sam just held him and smiled politely. "Sam."
"You know what?" The waitress grinned. "Totally fits. Totally."
And in the back of Danny's mind, he realized could almost put Cameron Diaz in place of this girl. He couldn't figure out for the life of him if that made him more or less irritating.
"Thanks." Sam didn't lose the smile, waiting for the girl to finish so he and Danny could actually order.
The waitress nodded, grinning, and finally took their orders. Sam and Danny both got burgers, and Sam ordered chicken fingers for Junior calmly. Danny laughed to himself when he noticed just under Sam's polite smile and calm tone, he was just as annoyed as Danny was.
He'd have to commend him on the act later. It was pretty good.
"Coming right up. And I'll get you both refills on your drinks." The waitress nodded shortly, and grinned again, turning to rush off and do just that.
But before she did, she stopped, rounding on her heel as if she'd forgotten something. "You know what? I just have to say," She faced to Danny, bright eyes twinkling as they reflected off the lamps hanging from the restaurant ceiling above them. "He really really looks just like his grandfather."
Had he been a lesser con man, Danny's jaw would have dropped, his face would have fallen, his eyes would have bugged out of his head... But no. Instead, he automatically went into another form of shock. One that created a complete, calm, poker face.
Sam registered a split second of shock of his own, then looked as though he might die laughing. Even Junior seemed to figure out a little of what was going on, and looked at Danny. And as what he thought was consolation, but was really the exact opposite... He reached out for him, wanting to go over and sit in his lap.
Danny looked over at him, and after a minute of mentally forcing himself to snap out of it, forced a slow, calm smile and took the boy, setting him in his lap. "... Thank you." He looked up at the waitress again, not even flinching as Junior gave him a hug.
The waitress smiled, nodding to him, and rushed off to take care of their orders.
Silence reigned at the table for a few minutes, Junior looking from Sam, to Danny, then back to Sam again. He was confused, clearly unable to understand why it was so quiet.
Sam, finally, after making a mental note to tell Carly all about this and make sure she told Rusty, was the first to speak.
And when he did, he couldn't resist what came next.
"... It's gonna be okay, Lazarus."
"... I hate you."
"Y'know, I've always sort of seen you as a little bit of a father figure..."
"Shut up."
"I mean, when we met, you did get me out of that--"
"Sam."
"Alright!"
What: Hanging out while Oceans are visiting LA
When: Midafternoon
Where: Restaurant
Why: Because Amy wanted it. And I have a problem with saying no to things that make me giggle.
"So, wait, and then what?"
"I have no idea yet."
Sam frowned, making sure to keep an eye on the three year old who'd attached himself to his side, then sitting in his lap, instead of sitting on his own for the last twenty minutes... And was now trying to get away to check things out around the restaurant. "... Okay, Junior, come on." He put him in his own chair, irritated.
And in under a minute was on the business end of a forlorn blue eyed look that begged to come back again. "... Alright." He picked him back up, rolling his eyes at both the lack of will power exhibited there, and the hug he recieved after.
Also, the statement that could be made about how he was really growing up to be a lot like his father. He could hear Carly laughing inside his head.
But instead of her being there to actually laugh at him, Sam merely caught the smirk that Danny showed while he hugged his son. And he tried to ignore it, for the sake of sticking with denial on what this reminded him of. "This is the new thing now. I have no idea where the h-- heck it's coming from." Points for censorship.
Danny chose not to run with that. Just this once. Sam was a friend, after all. "I wouldn't know." He shrugged, sipping some of his whiskey. "Tess gets that, not me." And some insecure father instinct way deep down inside him had to wonder, well, what did that say about him?
After all, Brandon had a tendency to haul ass to Rusty. Granted, a lot of the time he was in trouble first with Isabel. But outside of that, when he was just in the mood, as kids often could be...
No, it didn't say anything.
... He didn't think so. ... Right?
... Right. Moving on.
"Carly usually gets it," Sam admitted, drinking his soda and shifting a little to get more comfortable with Junior in his lap. Although he was sure in about ten minutes, his legs would be asleep. And then, damn it, Junior was going back in the chair. "But when it's only one of us, or neither of us, it's sort of whoever he's with. And I swear to God, I hope this is a phase."
Danny just shook his head, laughing under his breath. And Sam's being comfortable with Carly being the one who got clung to more out of the two of them made him feel considerably more stupid about his own little insecurity, so he pushed down, leaning back in his chair. "So this photoshoot in Madrid..."
"... Is like it's not even happening until I have to go." Sam rolled his eyes and drank down the rest of his soda, setting the glass down with a finality only a man who was very aware of walking the thin line between life and death would bring.
Because really, while you couldn't blame her for getting a little tense about Sam getting on planes... Sam still spent every day before the trip, sometimes two, three, or more weeks in advance, being on his best A-1 behavior in every last sense of the word.
And sometimes couldn't help wondering if maybe some of Carly's getting tense was just to get that out of him. Once again... He wouldn't blame her.
And so Danny nodded, watching Junior take Sam's glass and play with it idly. And then the look of quiet aggravation when Sam took the glass back and put it out of his reach on the table to keep him from breaking it. And Danny found himself smirking again, amused. Not Sam that time. Definitely Carly.
Sam ignored the look, keeping his eyes on Danny so it wouldn't get to him. "And this thing with Tess?"
"... I'll work it out." He snorted under his breath, then drank down the rest of the whiskey with that same air of finality from before, and set the glass down calmly.
"And if you don't?"
"I will." Danny was sure he had to stop completely banking on his ability to work things out with Tess someday. But by now, he was fairly sure he knew when to use the right words -- and possibly bring home something nice just in case -- and when to, well, get down on your knees and grovel.
In a sense. Metaphorically. ... Sort of.
"Whatever you say." Sam shrugged, figuring if anyone knew, it was Danny. And maybe Rusty, when Isabel wasn't so focused on being the trip she was and making it harder for things to work. Although, over the years, that'd calmed some. But he didn't see it ever going away completely.
He looked up when the waitress finally came back to them, smiling prettily in that completely fake way you'd only find in Los Angeles. "Hi."
"Hi. Are you ready to order?"
Sam nodded, glancing down at the menu. "Yeah, I'll have--"
"Oh my God, is he yours?" The waitress lit up as she noticed Junior, who was now playing with a fork, and her smile became genuine. "He's so cute!"
Sam blinked a few times, then looked down at Junior and flinched at the fork, sighing and taking it away from him again. And the aggravated look doubled. "... Yeah." He smiled. "He's mine."
"Adorable, oh my God. How old is he?"
"Three."
And for once, Danny was glad not to be involved in this conversastion. Because every time he'd gone through it when he was with Jackie, it was always annoying. All these questions about a kid they wouldn't even remember in under an hour, maybe even less, when the parent who was being interrogated just about always had something else to do.
"And what's his name?" The waitress asked, waving at Junior when he looked at her, and not seeming to be bothered in his moving closer to his father instead of waving back.
Sam just held him and smiled politely. "Sam."
"You know what?" The waitress grinned. "Totally fits. Totally."
And in the back of Danny's mind, he realized could almost put Cameron Diaz in place of this girl. He couldn't figure out for the life of him if that made him more or less irritating.
"Thanks." Sam didn't lose the smile, waiting for the girl to finish so he and Danny could actually order.
The waitress nodded, grinning, and finally took their orders. Sam and Danny both got burgers, and Sam ordered chicken fingers for Junior calmly. Danny laughed to himself when he noticed just under Sam's polite smile and calm tone, he was just as annoyed as Danny was.
He'd have to commend him on the act later. It was pretty good.
"Coming right up. And I'll get you both refills on your drinks." The waitress nodded shortly, and grinned again, turning to rush off and do just that.
But before she did, she stopped, rounding on her heel as if she'd forgotten something. "You know what? I just have to say," She faced to Danny, bright eyes twinkling as they reflected off the lamps hanging from the restaurant ceiling above them. "He really really looks just like his grandfather."
Had he been a lesser con man, Danny's jaw would have dropped, his face would have fallen, his eyes would have bugged out of his head... But no. Instead, he automatically went into another form of shock. One that created a complete, calm, poker face.
Sam registered a split second of shock of his own, then looked as though he might die laughing. Even Junior seemed to figure out a little of what was going on, and looked at Danny. And as what he thought was consolation, but was really the exact opposite... He reached out for him, wanting to go over and sit in his lap.
Danny looked over at him, and after a minute of mentally forcing himself to snap out of it, forced a slow, calm smile and took the boy, setting him in his lap. "... Thank you." He looked up at the waitress again, not even flinching as Junior gave him a hug.
The waitress smiled, nodding to him, and rushed off to take care of their orders.
Silence reigned at the table for a few minutes, Junior looking from Sam, to Danny, then back to Sam again. He was confused, clearly unable to understand why it was so quiet.
Sam, finally, after making a mental note to tell Carly all about this and make sure she told Rusty, was the first to speak.
And when he did, he couldn't resist what came next.
"... It's gonna be okay, Lazarus."
"... I hate you."
"Y'know, I've always sort of seen you as a little bit of a father figure..."
"Shut up."
"I mean, when we met, you did get me out of that--"
"Sam."
"Alright!"