How Green Becomes Wood

"It is a shame it is not closer to your birthday or Christmas." Dark said, reaching for his own phone to try to pull up information regarding the machine but remembering he left it inside the house, "You may be able to find a used one for cheaper online, if a new one is too expensive..." He frowned, thinking heavily for a few moments, but apparently not getting anywhere, he said, "Mother's Day is on Sunday."
 
Xander paused in the motion of turning away. "Yep. So it is," he agreed casually, the hand against the doorframe gripping it a little tighter. "That's going to be a big day. Alec is so excited I think he nearly told her a couple of times."
 
"I made her a statue of Isis for the garden. To put between the rose bushes and the apple tree. Isis is a goddess of healing, magic, and protection. I thought... Well." He lowered his eyes for a moment, walking further into his shed, where his irritating little puzzle box still set not functioning properly. "I also bought some polymer clay. I'm going to put Ivy's hands into it for her. I wanted to take your hand, and Ivy's, and Alec's, and take casts of them and carve them out onto wood, so she could have all of them, but I thought... I wanted her to have something that seems like Ivy alone... I will make the other one some other day. I have had a tactile picture of all of us at Ivy's sebou to go with the handprints. I have not found it easy to keep the secret, either."
 
"Oh, yeah? Sounds like a pretty good gift. She'll be bawling her eyes out in the good way," Xander confirmed with a nod. "Alec and I have another gift to give her, but it's taking some time to make."
 
"This year feels more important than last year." Dark commented, "Ivy lived. And you two," He looked at Xander, his eyes softening completely for the first time in days, but then he blinked and looked away. They wanted him as their father, legally. Permanently. "I want to know what you are making, but I do not know if I can handle keeping another secret from her."
 
"Nope, You get to be surprised, too," Xander said cheerfully. He turned away. "I should get back inside and put these glasses back. I just wanted to show you the cool machine. See you later." He headed back toward the house, already ready for another nap. Or at least a quiet time laying down. Maybe he could get Enkidu to join him on the floor again.
 
"It is better that way," Dark said, relieved, "Just be sure the door is shut when you leave."

Then he sat back down at his desk and picked up his puzzle box and a knife, but he couldn't really focus. Alec and Xander wanted to be adopted by them.

Alec and Xander were afraid of him.

They weren't afraid, it was only a moment. Alec called him heroic.

Alec didn't know.

And the thoughts kept flipping around in his head until he couldn't take it anymore, so he went back inside just in time to see a text from Cooger saying he was planning to stop by, and, thankfully, that did not stress him further. Besides Daizi, Cooger was the only person he could speak openly with.
 
Alec basically begged to stay home the rest of the week, though he did promise to do all of his homework, and he actually managed better working from home with little guidance than he did learning at school. Whether or not that would hold up to a full-time study position or was just how it worked out for that week was hard to tell. He did seem better after his talk with Dark, and he texted Sloan a bit, too, and talked to his therapist. His hair still bothered him, but he was working on accepting it. It had been a rash decision done in the heat of emotion, but far worse decisions had been made under lesser circumstances. He could work with this. Although, having short hair like this did make him look more identical to Xander than he had in years. It was a humorous experience for him.

For Xander, he stayed quiet and withdrawn. It was easy to blame on his concussion, but Alec did wonder if it wasn't something more. He didn't dare push, and Xander seemed to appreciate that. He finished his half of Daizi's Mother's Day gift in private and left the rest up to Alec. Most of his time he spent in his room either resting or watching YouTube until Alec made him stop. The ringing in his ear did subside a little, but it was still a clear annoyance and a hindrance to his ability to hear, leading to many missed sentences or words and a few accidental scares.

Saturday came around, and Alec went to talk schedule and meal-planning for the Mother's Day with Dark. Xander stayed on the outskirts of the conversation, not even lending his opinion on the food options.
 
When Cooger came, he brought with him a few pints of ice cream... and a bottle of whiskey. He took Dark back outside where they could talk privately and drink, although not enough to get drunk. He would've brought something else, he admitted, but he didn't know how the twins would react to the smell of it on their father or if it could be dangerous for Ivy. Dark told him his truth about the fight, his broken rib, and his frustration with how the school was handling it. When Ivy was napping, Dark and Cooger came inside so Daizi could join them without the worry of leaving their baby inside, unmonitored, and then, for just a little while, they spent time like they used to, before all of their lives had changed so much.

He did his best to seem normal, but ever since Tuesday, he found it difficult to feel much of anything, but the numbness had been creeping in so slowly, and so insidiously, he didn't even realize it had started. Even to himself, he was writing it off as exhaustion. His body was healing, it took energy, that was all. All of the horrible thoughts that sprang into his mind unbidden were simply there. Despite being allowed to return to work on Friday, he took the day off (and, thankfully, Bernice agreed to let him without a fight. Now that his name was entirely cleared, the entire school, including parents, had begun shifting their messaging towards him and were more than happy to give him an extra day of recovery).

Still, a few pleasing moments still broke through. The work he had done in preparation for Mother's Day made him feel proud. Ivy's laugh made him happy. Knowing it was approaching the day where the twins formally announced their desire to be adopted filled him with feelings he didn't know the name for. But those were all just moments. The rest of the time, it was like he was drifting.

For her part, Daizi kept up to everything she had already been doing: Taking care of her family. It was good to be on the other side of things, as worried as she was for them. She didn't know how she should feel about mother's day. She was absolutely thrilled for it, because this one, this one she earned, but it felt weird to look forward a day that was just about her, when her family was so wounded. She had, however, spoken with Dark, and he agreed to help her with her own small surprise.

On Saturday, she was making herself somewhat scarce so her family could discuss without her overhearing, and when Dark was discussing food with his sons, he made sure to be holding Ivy, so she could 'be part of it.'

"You are never quiet about food," Dark commented to Xander, "Are you feeling worse than yesterday?"
 
Xander shrugged. "Nah, I'm fine. Well. Mostly fine. You know what I mean. I'm no worse than yesterday. Just... not sure what to add."

"Your thoughts on what we should eat tomorrow?" Alec prompted.

"We should have all of Daizi's favorites," Xander said. "Not much else to add there."
 
"Do you want to help cook for her or should we order in?" Dark asked, watching Xander cautiously, "I would suggest we go out to eat, but I am not sure if we are all ready for a trip like that, yet. And she would make a fuss if we suggested it."
 
"Well, it's supposed to be a relaxing day, and if we go out, then she'll have to worry about what to bring, where to feed Ivy, how to go through the restaurant," Alec listed off.

Xander gave a slight nod. "Eating in is better. Just make it fancy, right? Really nice. Candles and tablecloths and stuff. A skull with flowers for a centerpiece."
 
"We can eat out next year," Dark agreed, scratching his browbone with one finger, "I do not know if you are joking about the skull centerpiece or not, but that is better saved for her birthday. Given Daizi's history, she would not find using the decorations of the dead amusing. Not on Mother's Day." Ivy babbled like she was agreeing with him, and he hoisted her up a bit higher to get a better look at her, "Darling girl. Are you going to impress everyone by saying your first word months before you are supposed to? Are you going to say Mama tomorrow? We are all counting on you, Hummingbird."

Ivy simply gurgled and grinned, unphased.

"She refuses to listen." He shook his head as if he were actually disappointed, "I think it would be nice if we ate outside. The weather is supposed to be good. If we eat at or after sunset, the sun would not bother you."
 
"I'm betting she says Baba. Peter says she will say Mama. Xander says she'll say something completely random and none of those words," Alec told him. "Winner gets treated to their choice of dessert. I think eating outside sounds like a great idea!"

Xander gave a slight nod. "Except I thought it was traditional to do breakfast, not dinner. I'm good with outside whenever."
 
"The stressful part is even if Xander is right and her first word is something completely random, at some point she will say Mama and Baba, and she can't say them at the same time, which means she will eventually say one of our names first." Dark said, struggling to tell which name he hoped to hear first or if he cared at all. "Having her call me the Arabic word for father rather than the English helps, though. The 'ba' sound is equally as difficult as 'ma,' whereas 'da' is slightly more difficult. You both have difficult names." He tickled Ivy underneath her chin, "Is breakfast traditional? I never had a mother worth celebrating. But I do not think it matters, we have to eat all three meals regardless. A peaceful breakfast and a fancy dinner seems like something she would enjoy. Unless you both would prefer including your traditions, she is not my mother."
 
"You know, no matter which she says first, if she says Mama when it's only Mama in the room, Mama's going to lie, and totally vice versa," Xander pointed out dryly.

"Not necessarily!" Alec said with an extra scowl at Xander. "Anyway, back on track, I honestly think breakfast is traditional mostly due to the history of men working while women stayed home, so it was easier to make it before work or take her out early. It kind of hangs on now, but a lot of people do dinner, too. I like the idea of a relaxing, peaceful breakfast, a small, cheery lunch, and then a fancy-pants dinner."

"Sounds good to me," Xander agreed, his gaze drifting away from them and to the nearest window.
 
"I am not sure. We both are excited to hear her speak, and we both know whichever name she says first is not an indictment on anyone. I know I will be too excited for Daizi if Ivy says Mama first to care she did not say Baba first." Dark replied, rubbing Ivy's back and allowing her to grab his beard since he was holding her on his right side. One day she'd stop grabbing onto him like that, he wasn't going to force her to stop prematurely. She babbled happily with them, feeling very much the part of the conversation, and then gave her father one of her violent, open-mouth kisses and then snuggled against him. Dark swayed his torso, even though his rib didn't like it, "She will love it. The hard part will be convincing her to let us do everything."

As he said this, the back door slowly opened and Daizi poked her head in. Truthfully she said, "I haven't been eavesdropping... can I come inside yet, I can only pretend to be occupied for so long."
 
"Don't pluck Baba bald, Ivy!" Daizi laughed, and then with a teasing huff said, "I've already weeded the entire garden!"

"Well if you would hurry back outside, we can finish our machinations." Dark replied, shooing her off, and she grumbled a very authentic response about how grateful she was all the way until the door was shut. Shaking his head, he looked at the twins and said, "We are torturing her. It will make tomorrow sweeter."
 
"Indeed it will," Alec smiled. "Alright, so we've decided the basic menu and timeline. Do we need to go grocery shopping? Also, at what particular time are we giving her her gifts? Xander, do you have any suggestions?" He paused, but Xander didn't answer, so he hurried forward. "My first choice would be around dinner time, unless you don't think you or she could wait that long. Oh! How about we do the 'regular' gifts right before lunch, and then we hit her with the extra special gift during dinner time? That will take her totally by surprise!"

Xander shifted, staring out the window still and no longer even trying to take part in the conversation.
 
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