How Green Becomes Wood

"There are some things which seem like they would be easier to bear if you were not carrying the burden all on your own." Dark told him, "And the dream of a long-lost sibling, or being switched at birth, came with it the possibility of an escape. But there is a cost to everything and nobody is every entirely satisfied. If I did have an identical twin," He rolled up his sleeve, "We would not be quite so identical anymore."
 
"True. Even if you both got tattoos, they wouldn't always be the exact same. If you got the same tattoos but by different artists, they'd still be a little different," Alec mused. He dragged his finger along the table idly. "One nice thing about being a twin, I suppose, is that there's always someone to hide behind."
 
"I do not think myself and a potential twin would even want the same tattoos. We would probably have one we both had, but I cannot imagine someone also wanting," He turned over both of his arms, looking at his personal tapestries, "this. And I cannot imagine having anyone to hide behind, I have very seldomly met someone I have to look up at. Not since reaching adulthood, anyway." In this particular instance, he did not pick up on a hint.
 
Alec hesitated for a long moment. "No, I don't imagine you would," he finally agreed. "Well, I should go check on Xander and make sure he's not trying to do anything too taxing." He stood up and made sure his area was clean. "Have fun with Ivy today!"
 
Alec played with his short hair briefly before the pain of his wounded scalp made him stop. "Well, my brother has a concussion and a terrible bruise, my Ba has a bruised rib, my Mama is trying to look after us all plus my baby sister, and it's all because of a guy I thought we were done with, so... yeah, there's a lot on my mind," he said a little more shortly than he normally might. "But you need to rest, too. Maybe I'll take a walk later. Oh, and make up work for school. That's also on my mind."
 
"Alec," Dark said slowly and seriously, "I apologize for how I phrased my question. I am rested, my injury is mild and purely physical, and I am not moving, so I am at rest, and very much available to talk with you."
 
Alec paused, his back to Dark, and wilted a little. "No, I'm sorry. I should not have snapped at you. It's just..." He heaved a sigh and slowly returned to his seat. "I'm tired of always being the weak one," he finally admitted. "I feel like the proverbial Damsel in Distress, like Original Scooby-Doo Daphene. I don't want to get into fights or anything like that, I would prefer to stay away from them, but I would like to at least be able to stand up for myself. Like Xander, no matter how many times he lost, he still always fought back and protected me. Like you, protecting us. I know it's a father's duty to protect his kids, but you... you were so heroic in making certain we were okay no matter what happened to you, even though you got hurt because of it. And I just... existed to be the thing to be threatened to keep you and Xander in line until I was tossed aside."
 
"It is okay, I know it is a stressful time for all of us." He replied, turning to face Alec once he was sitting down again, and he listened carefully as he explained his problem. Upon taking a few moments to think about it, Dark looked at him and said, "I do not think there is anything retroactive to be done... but have you considered taking self-defense classes? You would not be trained to become a fighter, but it would give you skills on how to get free and stand your ground."
 
Alec gave a listless shrug. "I suppose that is the most obvious solution," he agreed, but he didn't love the idea. He wasn't sure why, he just didn't. Would those types of classes really help him feel less weak? Most of them seemed to be aimed at just making people feel better without actually being that useful. Not to mention, you had to practice a lot to make it instinctual and not lose everything you learned in a moment of panic.
 
"Daizi carries pepper gel, which is essentially pepper spray but with less of a chance of the wind blowing it back at you." Dark offered, seeing Alec's disinterest in learning self-defense, "If you are feeling helpless in physical confrontations, all you can really do is learn to fight back or carry something to defend yourself with. I can teach you to fight, if you prefer that to a class, although I cannot do so exactly now."
 
"I once watched Daizi give a girl a black eye." Dark replied with a small shrug of his shoulders, "I think everyone has the capacity to learn to defend themselves in some capacity. You share all of Xander's genes, and he is able to fight. Of course I believe you can, too. and I think you are smart enough to know what fights you cannot win and level-headed enough not to fight back, physically, unless it is necessary to do so, which is something Xander does not always maintain."
 
Alec brightened and sat up a little straighter, feeling encouraged. Despite being an identical twin, he'd always felt far inferior to Xander in anything physical, but Dark was right. If Xander could do it, then he could, too. "Then... maybe I could learn," he agreed cautiously, "and until I am feeling confident, I could get that pepper gel stuff, too. When you are feeling better, will you teach me a little?"
 
"I would be glad to teach you." Dark replied, squeezing Alec's shoulder, "so long as you promise not to take on fights you know you cannot win. I already worry about scraping Xander off the pavement because he felt too confident. And I will get you the gel, also."
 
"I appreciate you apologizing," Dark said, getting up to clear his spot, "but I do not think there was anything wrong with what you said, although you really should not exert yourself worrying about myself and Daizi. Bruises heal, and she is only doing what any of us would do."
 
Alec couldn't help smirking at Dark. "I learned a lot about worrying from you and her," he teased, "but I'll try to tone it down."

Dark's phone range then, Lance's number, and Alec took the opportunity to excuse himself to go check on his brother.
 
"Just checking in to see how things are going today, Mr. Dark," Lance greeted him in a friendly tone. There was a lot of noise in the background, but his voice still came through clear. "How are things?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top