How Green Becomes Wood

"No, it is okay," Dark replied, surprised by the gesture, "Thank you." Daizi sat beside him while he opened up the box. He took it out, and turned it over, carefully looking at all of the little symbols. He rubbed his thumb over them. He wasn't like Daizi, and so he did not immediately begin to cry, or even emote much at all as he looked at it, unless one looked at his eyes. In most times, they were intense and piercing, but as he looked at this bracelet, they had softened completely. Finally, he looked up at Xander, "You made this?" He asked, "It is beautiful. Thank you." He looked down at it again, and felt all of the symbols again before handing to Daizi so she knew what Xander had made for him.

"I understand the crystal ball, and the rainbow..." He breathed, "and I can guess at the book, although I could well be wrong, but, why the rest?" He asked, again raising his eyes up to look at Xander.
 
Xander blushed and looked down, pleased that Dark liked it but still somewhat shy about it. "Yeah, I made it. I got your measurements and tried to give you a couple of settings, but I hope it fits. The crystal ball is Daizi, the rainbow is the baby, the shield and sword are for you, the book is Alec, and the spear is me. I couldn't think of any other good symbols for a gladiator, sorry, and I couldn't think of anything else to fit me." He shifted awkwardly. "I thought you'd like to take your family with you where you can see them even when you cover up your tattoos."
 
Dark looked at Xander for a long time, not saying anything. No, unable to say anything. He swallowed, blinking, and took the bracelet back from his wife before putting it on, "Yeah," he whispered, "I would like that. I would like that a lot. I would love that." He pinched the bridge of his nose and in the same fluid movement, wiped his eyes.

The bracelet was nice, and it was well made. Homey, but well made. And the meaning beside it was... more special than he had words for. But it was the fact it was Xander, the fact this angry kid who only seemed to want to push people away called him family. He wanted them represented together, so Dark could always look down and see them together. That was what got him. That Xander called them family.

"It is perfect," His voice broke while Daizi reached up to rub his back, resting her head against his shoulder, "Thank you."
 
Xander cleared his throat, face red, but a warm glow filled his chest when Dark put the bracelet on. He couldn't remember ever driving someone to happy tears before. He'd never given anyone reason to be so happy that they nearly broke their own shell. He'd never even given anyone a gift, at least not one that he'd slaved over, and a part of him had tried to keep in mind that Dark might hate it, that it might not fit, that Dark would just give the empty response of "that's nice" and take it never to be seen again. He was prepared for the worst, despite everything, and yet Dark loved it. Dark accepted Xander's way of seeing their family, his way of trying to give back to that family in some tiny way. It was enough to nearly get him crying along with Dark. He didn't say anything, his throat thick, but he nearly glowed with pride.

Alec leaned over to see and smiled. "It looks absolutely perfect on you, Professor," he said and quietly wiped his own eyes. "It suits you."
 
Dark couldn't think of anything else to say. He snaked one arm around Daizi's waist, but really only so he could have a hand on her belly. The twins he could see, and his wife had already been rubbing his back, but since the bracelet represented all of them, he wanted all of them, the baby included. In a perfect world, he would have felt her kick right then for the first time, but of course that didn't happen. But it was okay. He felt loved anyway, more loved than he had ever expected to experience in his life. To an extent, more loved than he really felt he deserved. They saw him as family.

Daizi held him securely as he gathered himself, not needing words or sight to understand how he was feeling. She echoed his sentiments, "It is perfect," she said, wanting to cry but keeping it together, because it seemed one of them had to, "it is absolutely beautiful."
 
Alec didn't say anything. He reached out and touched Xander's hand gently, wordlessly telling him he'd done well. Very well, indeed!

After a moment of silence, Xander stood and cleared his throat, feeling awkward. "I should go get dressed, and I've got some stuff to take care of. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room for a while."

Alc frowned and looked down at himself. "You know what, I declare today pajama day!" he grinned. "At least for me. I like my green dinos."

"You don't even know what most of those dinos are," Xander said, clearing up his spot at the table.

"No, but how long am I going to be able to wear jammies with dinos on them? Adult PJs are utterly boring," Alec lamented.

Xander snorted in amusement and headed toward his room.
 
"Adults can wear whatever pajamas they want," Daizi replied, allowing the mood to brighten, not that it was ever really a bad energy in the room, "I only wear 'boring' pajamas because I'm lazy, it's easier to just wear Dark's clothes." She also liked the way they smelled, but she wasn't going to mention that, because she knew it would gross out the twins.

"Yes and I would very much like some of my shirts back," Dark replied, raising his head again. He allowed himself to be pulled from the moment and welcomed back into normal life.

"And you will. When they stop fitting me," She teased, running her hand down her middle, "I've already returned your more fitted ones. Besides, we're married, I'm pretty sure that means everything we own belongs to both of us." She kissed the top of his head and he rolled his eyes but pulled her in closer.

Then he glanced at the clock and sighed, "You need to get dressed, you still have work today."

She frowned and pressed herself against him, "It's so unfair you don't."
 
Alec leaned on the table and looked between Dark and Daizi. "Can I come in my pajamas to see you off?" he asked. "I'll stay in the car." He glanced at Dark. "Unless we're stopping anywhere?"

Up in his room, Xander idly went through his clothes. He'd pull out a shirt or a pair of pants, look at them, and toss them on the floor. Nothing felt right. It hadn't for a while, but particularly today. He finally found a straight black shirt and a simple pair of blue jeans, both without a single hole. Then he looked in the mirror. One by one, he took off all the clip-on earings. Last came the only real earing, the stud he'd had for years. They all went into a little bowl on top of the dresser and sat there. He rubbed his ears, feeling suddenly naked. Shaking off the feeling, he brushed his hair and teeth and headed downstairs. He'd be back later to clean this up.
 
"If you'd like to, I suppose," Daizi replied, letting go of her husband, "Dark just takes me there and comes straight home, right Goose?" He nodded, "so if you want to come with, that's alright. Come on, you," She lovingly rubbed the side of her belly, "you and I have places to be." She finished her tea and headed upstairs to get dressed.

When Xander came downstairs, Dark blinked a bit at him, and tried not to look like he was surprised. It was just the most... assembled, for lack of a better word, he had ever seen Xander look. It was a surprise, "Are you going somewhere?" Dark asked, hoping this question wouldn't immediately destroy the goodwill they had just managed to cultivate.
 
Xander shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned on the counter, trying not to look as awkward as he felt. He'd caught Dark's look, but appreciated that Dark was attempting not to make a big deal of it. "Hadn't planned on it, unless we're all going to drop Daizi off at the station or whatever. Are we doing that?"

"I thought I might," Alec said as he tidied his area.

Xander stared. "In your PJs?"

"Yep!"

"Okay, but if we get into an accident, the paramedics will get to judge you for your taste in sleepwear."

Alec paused. "I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I'll go get dressed." He turned and hurried for their room.

"Unless we aren't going anywhere, then you can stay," Xander called after him. He looked to Dark for an answer on that. Were they all going?
 
"If you want to get in the car so we can drive Daizi to the train station you are welcome to, but I was not planning to go anywhere else. Unless you would like to go somewhere else?" He asked, getting up to clear the breakfast counter, "but you both had a busy day yesterday." In truth, although he didn't care if they chose to come to the train station, he hoped they wouldn't ask to go on more trips that day. Secretly, he and Daizi had been plotting, and they needed to be well rested for it. Sure, if they went out today, they'd still have tomorrow to rest, but even as a teenager, Dark still found that to be a very busy week, and he worried they'd find it to be too much to be enjoyable.
 
Xander shook his head. "I have no plans." Leaning back, he called up the stairs, "Do you have plans to get out of the car?"

"Nope!" Alec called back. "But I'll get dressed anyway."

Xander turned back to Dark. "Neither of us has any plans to get out of the car. Or out of the house after dropping off Daizi. Just doing stuff. Do you have any plans?"
 
Daizi came back downstairs, now dressed for the day, "Are you three still talking in circles? I swear it's a wonder you get anything done. Yalla, I don't want to miss my train."

"I am coming," Dark replied, standing up and going to get his shoes, "No, I do not have any plans. Just have to make sure she gets to work."

"Oh if only I could see and we would not need to run ourselves ragged with this," Daizi teased, opening the door. Whoever was coming could meet her in the car, but she didn't want to miss her train.

Dark smiled slightly at her adamance and turned towards the stairs to see if Alec was on his way down, and wondered if he should leash Enkidu and bring him along too, since apparently this was the most important trip to the train station ever. Although, getting everybody together like this did give him an idea for Saturday, so rather than waiting for the twins, he went down to the car, so share this idea with his wife, before anyone was there to hear their secret plan. Discussing it in anyway, even in Arabic, in their presence felt too risky.
 
Alec came stumbling down while still trying to pull on his socks. He hadn't bothered to brush his hair, and it was hard to tell if his choice of clothing was deliberate or a matter of grabbing whatever came easily to hand. He fell into his shoes and ran out to the car.

Xander smirked and pulled on his shoes before following Alec out, taking care to close the door behind him. He opened the door, let Alec in, and then climbed in after him. "Hey, what's the hold up?" he asked, closing the door. "Daizi's going to be late!"
 
"I swear, you two leave school for a month and suddenly the whole routine falls apart," Daizi teased, settling in as Dark pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the train station, "Why did you both want to come anyway? It's not like you've been cooped up in the house, you spent all day out and about yesterday. I'm not upset or anything, it's just curious."

"Because nothing in life can be expected anymore," Dark replied dryly.

"No, that's very true," She replied, smiling. She had rolled the windows down, not caring at all how it messed with her hair... Or, anyone else's, but it had already been established, multiple times over, that nobody else was going anywhere.
 
"I'm coming because he wanted to go," Xander said, nodding to Alec even if neither of the adults could see.

"I'm coming because I miss telling Daizi goodbye. It was fun. Plus, the professor might get lonely driving back alone," Alec said.

"That, or he'd really enjoy finally having five minutes to himself," Xander pointed out. He leaned over and let the wind blow through his hair.
 
"Aw, well I would've invited you along if I knew saying goodbye in the house wasn't enough," Daizi said, almost sadly.

"When you get your driver's license, Alec, you can drive her every day during all school breaks and say goodbye for as long as you like," Dark grumbled, which made Daizi laugh and reach over to play with the ends of his hair.

"Poor Goose, you're really not a morning person."

He sighed, frowning deeply, "No, I am not, but because I am a teacher everyone presumes I must be--it is not my fault school starts ungodly early, and you are a morning person, and somebody needs to take you to the train station."

"I keep telling you, you'd be able to sleep in later if you worked out in the evening instead, and let me cook breakfast."

"There is not time in the evening," He countered, "I come home from work and make dinner, so you can eat when you come home. If I waited to cook until you made it back, then we would not eat until close to 9, how we do it is the only way. At least over break I can work out after dropping you off, so I can sleep in that little bit more."
 
"It's weird listening to you two arguing," Alec commented, watching them. "It's an argument, but it's not. Not really."

"It's called banter," Xander told him. "It's what those dumb movies are trying to get across when they have the romantic couple sniping at each other the whole way through, and then at the end are suddenly a happy couple."

Alec raised his brows. "Really? Huh. Wow, they're terrible."
 
"Bickering is my love language," Daizi said, turning back to face them, "and it's the only way to make boring adult conversations like who is cooking and sleep schedules bearable. And, babe, you'd get to sleep more if you let me cook breakfast on break like you have for literally all of the years you've been teaching until now."

"Yes, well, now you need sleep more than I do," He replied, and she sighed and sat back, knowing she was doomed to loose that debate. Not too long later, they arrived in the parking lot of the train station, "You still have plenty of time before your train arrives. And if you don't have a seat, please make someone stand up for you, darling." Dark said, putting the car into park, just while she got out.

"I will... hm... It's funny, now that we're here I don't want to leave you..." She caressed his face, and he kissed her palm. Then turned back to the twins to face them, so it wasn't awkward, "Or you both either. It's so miserable being the only one who doesn't get to stay home."

"It is only until this evening, and you would miss it if you did not get to go," He reminded her, squeezing her hand.

This simple sentiment settled her, and she smiled, "Well, goodbye, then. All three of you, stay out of trouble."

"You both stay out of trouble too."

"I never get in trouble," Daizi said indignantly, "...Her, I'm less sure about, I think she thrives on chaos."

"Like mother like daughter."
 
"I make no promises," Xander said.

Alec waved whether or not she could see him. "Don't worry, I'll keep us all out of trouble! We'll look forward to seeing you tonight, and you can tell us all about your day."

"See you later!" Xander called. It was rather fun to see her off, even though they really didn't have to.
 
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