How Green Becomes Wood

"If I give the candle to someone else, I won't need to deal with the fallout," Cooger replied, grinning, "and man, a bacon cake. I can imagine how that went over, but the inside tasting good makes it worth it. And it's a funny story. I never care if things don't work out well as long as I get a good story out of it. Better to break your arm jumping off the swing set than breaking it slipping in the shower. But, you know, some people they specifically incorporate bacon in desserts? I don't know if you're old enough to remember it, but there was a time that, like, everyone was obsessed with bacon."

He looked up to see Alec had walked out, but didn't bother trying to get him or anything. It was a good day, and a bright day, and it was good to just take the time to explore.
 
"I got to try a piece of maple bacon once," Xander told him. He paused and gave a wistful sigh, seeming very much like his twin for just a moment. "I still dream about it sometimes." He shook himself and started cleaning up and prepping for the next step, like how Dark would do. "But I can't really imagine a good dessert other than that with bacon in it. How about you?"
 
Cooger smiled slightly, seeing Xander become a bit more like Alec, and then smiled more seeing how he set about cleaning up, "Dark really has taught you well. If you start standing with one hand on your hip and start wearing slightly tight button downs rolled up above your elbows, you'd do a great impersonation of him. And I once had maple-walnut coffee cake, where the topping was crumbled bacon with walnuts. That was pretty nice. But I've also seen people add bacon to rice krispie treats or just coat a slice of bacon in chocolate and call it a day, and I, obviously, enjoy some unhealthy junk, but there's gotta be a limit." He paused, "If you're sober, there's gotta be a limit."
 
Should he be complimented or insulted by Dark's comment of how he was turning into Dark? He decided neither and moved on. There was absolutely no way he was ever going to turn into Dark. Dark was just too... Dark. And adult. "Oh, that's nasty," Xander shuddered, his expression twisted. "I don't get people who ruin perfectly good food like that. Right, Alec?" He turned. "Alec?" The place was empty.

Xander's heart leaped into his throat. Alec was gone! Where had he gone? Why would he have slipped away like that? Wait, calm down, maybe he was just in the bathroom. A quick glance showed the bathroom door was open. Where was his brother?

"Alec!" Xander yelled, shoving the bowl he'd been using onto the counter. He half ran to the door and stopped. Alec lay on his stomach on the dock. Xander's heart stopped. His face went ashen. "No. Not again. No!" Then Alec moved, shifting over to where he could reach down farther. Xander's heart started again, and he sagged against the wall. "The turtles. He's trying to touch the friggin' turtles." He closed his eyes a moment, shaking.
 
When Xander freaked out, seemingly out of the blue, Cooger half turned, bewildered. Dark had told him everything about what had happened that day, but he still hadn't expected such... calamity.

He left the bowl where it lay, not caring at all about the slight spills, and probably wouldn't have even if there wasn't sudden yelling that made the cats scatter and Millie out in the yard start honking.

"Uhhh... Hey kid," Cooger murmured, plopping down beside Xander, "You okay?"
 
Xander swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah," he said, opening his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine." He pushed himself up and brushed off his hands. "Everything's fine. It's not a problem." He ran a hand through his hair and turned away, trying to pretend that for just a moment, he'd been in that bathroom with an unresponsive twin and his entire world crumbling away beneath him. There was nothing wrong at all. He needed to make sure things were ready for the potatoes.
 
"Well, alright man." Cooger replied, looking over at Alec still lying on that dock. Then he inhaled and nodded a bunch, and still sitting right there on the ground, he looked up at Xander, now clearly understanding what had happened. "We don't gotta talk about it, and I already promised not to bring up any more trauma but uh..." He breathed in deeply and clicked his tongue, "I understand, you know. That kinda panic. Gets easier. Won't be quick, but it does."

He still didn't move, and was honest when he said he wouldn't push the issue, so sitting on the ground, said, "Better check on those potatoes, don't want 'em to burn or nothing. Or I can go check, if you'd like to go hang with him for a bit. Whatever's good."
 
Xander glanced at Cooger, hesitating. He felt Cooger really did understand, that maybe he had actually been in Xander's place. He could guess who with, but he didn't want to think about that. He didn't really want to talk about it, but there was one thing he wanted to know. "It will get better?" he asked, not looking in Cooger's eye. He moved awkwardly toward the kitchen, wanting to be doing something as he talked. "The nightmares... they stop?"
 
He nodded, heaving himself up, and following after Xander, "Yep. It sure does, and they sure do. I mean, every so often, maybe like once a year at most, I'll still get one. If it's been a stressful time, you know. But not at all like it is after it happens. Once you figure out that they are, you know, actually sticking around your brain stops fixating on it."

Again, Cooger glanced out the window at Alec. Dark had told him it wasn't really intentional, and he wanted to say it would make it easier in the long run, but, well, he didn't know if that was true or not, so he just held his tongue and only answered what Xander had specifically asked.
 
Xander nodded. "Okay," he said simply. It meant a lot to hear, but the pain, no matter how residual, even if it was only the memory of the pain, made him want to just curl up and hide. Instead of literally hiding, he got out the potatoes and gave them a couple of pokes. "They need a little longer." He shoved them back into the oven and looked at Cooger. "If you're okay here, I'm going to go see if I can convince him that he can't touch a turtle before he falls in."
 
"Yeah, no, I've got this," Cooger said, "Go do what you need to do. And I am serious, you know, it won't always feel so all encompassing like it does now. It helped me to get rid of the clothes I was wearing when it happened. I burned 'em up. Which I promise not to do with these steaks, these are going to be the best steaks you've ever eaten in your life, I can promise you that!"
 
Xander gave a quiet snort and nodded. "I believe that. No doubt." He walked to the door and paused. "Thanks, Cooger." He wasn't talking about the food. He headed out, walking down to the dock. "Watcha doing?"

Alec looked up at him and smiled. He had been smiling more today than he had in the last week. It was good to see. "I almost touched one! I held really, really still and one came so close!"

Xander dropped down to sit next to Alec and reached down to touch his back. "That's great, but if you keep leaning over like that, you're going to touch the turtles with your entire body."

Alec looked down and took stock of himself. "Hmm. That sounds cold." He sat up and shifted to sit on the dock with feet dangling. "I'm really glad we came here."

Xander swung his legs over the edge and copied his brother, looking out over the water. "Me too. We could go home right now and it'd be worth it, but we have steaks to look forward to!"

"Mmm, now that sounds delicious!" Alec leaned into Xander and they sat there watching the water do its sparkly thing, content at least for the moment.
 
Cooger looked at them from out the window, and quietly finished the potatoes, not wanting to seperate them from each other. He knew how to make them anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. It was what he, Tarot, and Dark had wanted for the twins anyway. Just a nice, peaceful day, and they deserved to just sit out and watch the sun on the water.

It was sinking lower in the sky, and he knew what that meant, and what was coming. It was a fun holiday, and ever since he was a kid he looked forward to it. But it was tough at this time of day, knowing a long night was ahead of his closest friend. Cooger sent a quick text to Dark, to let him know he was on his mind, and got back to cooking. Anyway he wasn't alone, Tarot was with him, so that was a comfort.

Eventually, when the potatoes were finished and cooling, Cooger stepped outside, interrupting the twins, "Hey kiddos. I gotta ask, how do y'all like your steaks cooked?"
 
Xander and Alec looked up and clambered to their feet. "Hey, did you finish the potatoes already?" Xander asked in surprise. "Sorry, I should have come help."

"I like my steak cooked," Alec said with a grin. "I don't know beyond that."

"Not mooing?" Xander asked more than said. "Do you need any help?"
 
"Nah, it's no problem. You two looked comfortable. And sounds good, I'll go grill 'em. I don't need help, but if you'd like to come learn how to grill, I'd be glad to teach you, kid. It's a good skill to learn." He headed inside to get the steaks, which were all ready and just waiting to be cooked.

When he brought them outside to the grill, a few cats mewed, hoping to get some, but he was undeterred by them, "We'll eat outside. I hate the waste of a good day."
 
Xander and Alec followed him, heading for the grill. Alec was more curious and had no intention of actually learning to grill, but he did want to see how it was done. Xander did actually want to see and learn.

"It is a nice day," Xander agreed. He indicated the grill. "How do you know when it's hot enough? Or if it's too hot?"

Alec glanced out over the lake. "I wish Dark and Daizi could be here. It's so nice!"
 
After explaining how the grill worked to Xander and putting two of the three steaks on it, Cooger said, "On this particular day they can't be here, which sucks, but most days of the year they can be, and that's enough. You should see it out here right on the cusp of autumn, when it's still warm enough to be outside, but the trees are just beginning to turn. That's when it's really beautiful. And the sunsets over the lake. Man, those can't be beat. Although Tarot doesn't really get any of those colours, which is lame."

After a few minutes, he flipped the two steaks he had out and then added the third one, "I'm making your steaks medium rare, which is pretty standard. I prefer mine rare, but I don't want to start you out there."
 
"Is it really okay to eat rare steak?" Xander asked. He was standing close, not quite crowding Cooger's elbow. He was intent on Cooger's technique. Maybe he could get Dark to cook something over the open fire pit again so he could compare. Would Dark cook a steak to make it a fair comparison? He supposed he could ask. He tried to never ask, but maybe it was time he started asking.

Alec watched for a while, but then he turned his attention to the trees. He was enjoying this day, he really was, and he liked being able to spend time with just himself and Xander with Cooger there as some sort of mountain man guardian guide. However, he was also worried about Dark. He was trying not to think about it or worry about it too much, but he wondered if, since they were supposed to be family, perhaps they should have stayed. Or had they been sent away because it wasn't safe? He didn't know, but a part of him did wonder if perhaps they should have stayed home and sat in the sound-proofed basement with Dark. Maybe they could teach him ping-pong. First, they'd have to get a ping-pong table, but it was the only sport where Alec could actually beat Xander. Or maybe sing songs. Or something. Anything to be there together as a family. Even with all that, though, he knew he should trust Dark and Daizi to know what was best. If it was best the twins were away, then he had to accept that. Accept it and enjoy what was here.
 
"Yeah, it's fine. Bacteria and all that is on the outside of the steak, not the inside. But on chicken and pork it embeds deeper, which is why you can't eat those rare. Not that you two have to worry about undercooked pork, since they don't eat it. Even the bacon at their place is beef, and it's kinda funny, since neither of them actually practice Islam, but I guess if you grow up not eating something and being told never to eat it, you never develop a taste for it." He shrugged, and pulled the steaks from the grill, plopping them onto a clean plate.

He turned towards the twins, "Alright, kiddos, let's go get the sides. And something to drink. You two want more root beer? I also have cream soda, and a few other drinks in there that you can enjoy. Take whatever as long as it's non-alcoholic, okay? Until you're 18 or Dark and Tarot say it's okay."
 
"Legal drinking age is 21, and smoking is 18," Alec said automatically. "I'll go get the drinks!"

"Root beer for me," Xander called after him, eying Cooger's seasoning.

Alec hurried inside and brought out two root beers. "I couldn't figure out how to get three. What can I get for you, Cooger?"
 
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