How Green Becomes Wood

Dark rolled his eyes, "Do you hear your brother, my darling? He is trying to guilt me." Then he looked at Xander again, "If I chose to, would that not also be because I was pressured into it?"

"I don't think anybody 'knows how.' Except babies, maybe, I think we're all born with the capacity, and then... life happens. And regardless of what we might want or think, we're all a little bit jaded. Dark certainly didn't know how to love, when we met. Nobody had ever even told him those words until Cooger. We're all just trying our best, and learning, and we keep on learning until we take our last breath. That is how life goes, for better or worse. If you do decide you want something other than platonic, then I'd recommend you take a deep breath, and take things slowly, know it probably will not immediately be the one you marry, because most people's first relationship isn't--did you know Dark wasn't my first kiss?--but enjoy it for what it is in the moment. If you spend your entire life with your hands protecting your head to protect yourself from when the sky starts falling, you'll never get to enjoy how lovely the sky is." She paused, thinking about that analogy from her perspective, and then said, "Just like you don't know how to give that sort of love, I don't know what the sky looks like. But I trust it is as beautiful as people say, because it's a much nicer world to live in that way."
 
"Eh, it's different when it's your kid, don't you think?" Xander smirked. "Ya don't have to if you don't want to, but if you really didn't want to, I think you would have just said it."

Alec smiled a little and nodded. "I think that makes sense. Thank you, Mama." He shifted over to lean against her lightly. Then he straightened and added a little belatedly, "Not that I'll really need the relationship advice for a while. Or ever. It'll definitely come in handy for friendships."
 
"Why are you so intent on this?" Dark asked, "It seems a highly specific thing to be caught up on."

When Alec leaned against her, she wrapped one arm around him and then put the dandelion crown he had made on his head, "I hope it is helpful to you whenever it is you need it, and in whatever context you need it. Even if that context changes a thousand times from here to eternity."
 
Xander stared at him. "Because we're in a park standing at the swings with your wee daughter swinging for the first time and you said you liked swinging as a kid and you never directly said you didn't want to swing now," he pointed out bluntly. "It's kind of hard not to be highly specific considering the highly specific scenario we're literally standing in."

"Mama, you are the best mama ever," Alec told her sincerely. "I hope no one, even you, makes you feel otherwise."
 
"The thought of swinging now in adulthood feels strange." He admitted openly, "I am not exactly a small man, and I am not a young man, and there are children playing. I am not sure if it is the kind of odd I enjoy being associated with."

She smiled and kissed the top of his head, "Thank you, habibi. It means a lot that you feel that way about me."
 
"Alright," Xander agreed willingly enough. "That's fair. Like I said, you don't have to if you don't want to, but the offer's open. I'll look after the mini while you swing. I don't think anyone will really care. I mean, not for real, but if you don't want to, she's having enough fun for four of us, I think."

Alec blushed and smiled, hugging her gently with one arm. Then he sat up and straightened his crown. "I'm glad we came out today. It's a nice day!"
 
"I cannot imagine myself doing it," Dark answered, giving Ivy one more push on the swings, "I think I am too old. I feel too old. I am almost forty, you know."

"I'm glad we came out too." She nodded her head towards the sound of Xander, Dark, and Ivy, "she is going to sleep deeply after this. All the fresh hair and extra playtime? And Enkidu is glad to be outside." At that moment, their dog was lying at the end of the blanket, chewing on a stick he had found, "We should throw his ball for him, he'd like that. Really, I'm just happy Dark seems to be really, genuinely enjoying today. I'm not sure if there's anyone who deserves a nice day more."
 
Xander nearly laughed but caught himself and tried not to. "Professor, you're still way too young to talk that old," he told Dark as seriously as he could manage. "But, then again, forty's pretty ancient. I guess it's best you don't swing or anything. You might break a hip. Right, Mini?"

Alec scrambled to his feet and looked for Enkidu's ball. "I think he's enjoying himself, and Ivy certainly is! I hope Ba has the best day. Here's Enkidu's ball. Do you want to throw it, or shall I?"
 
Dark nearly replied with I already broke a rib, but he stopped himself to just enough time to say, "I already have grey hairs in my beard. But I also believe I am probably older than other people my age, because I had to grow up more quickly. You may understand that, when you are staring down forty."

"I can," Daizi said, taking the ball from Alec, but then she paused, biting her lower lip, "...I'm not at risk of hitting someone if I throw it in that direction, right? I'm not sure we'd be able to come back here if I hit someone's child in the face with a ball."
 
"I thought it was thirty that was supposed to give you pause," Xander remarked. Then he paused. "Or is that for women, and with guys it's forty?"

Alec looked out then took Daizi's arm and turned her just slightly. "There! Absolutely no chance unless someone runs over there right as you throw. Then it's their fault for not looking."
 
"I did not love thirty either." Dark answered, "but forty feels different. It feels very old. But I am some months from it, yet."

"Alright," She replied, and then took the ball and threw it, letting Enkidu ring after it.
 
"Great, then you have a few months to do whatever it is you'll be too old to do when you're thirty," Xander said cheerfully. He waved to Ivy and started wandering off back toward Daizi and Alec.

"Nice throw!" Alec praised, watching the ball fly. "And... nope, it hit nothing but grass."
 
Dark chuckled lightly, "I have to hurry." Then he pushed Ivy again, but she seemed to be tiring out, so he gently stopped the swing and scooped her up, rubbing her back.

Enkidu scrambled happily for the ball and then hurried back and dropped it for them, and then Daizi lifted it and tossed it again.
 
Daizi turned, throwing his ball to Enkidu one more time, "How was it?"

"She loved the swing," Dark said, sitting down on the blanket with Ivy close to his chest, "We should take her here more often, now that she can do much."

"That would be nice," Daizi replied, taking the ball from Enkidu, "I wanted to take her down the slide, but I'm not sure of it's the right time with how sleepy she is."
 
"You might he able to get one good slide," Alec suggested.

"And it's a plastic-type slide, so it won't burn her," Xander added.

"She might have enough left in her for one more! And we can take pictures!" Alec grinned.
 
"Even if it was metal, I'd hold her in my lap," Daizi explained, "I'm not sure I'm ready to let her free fall. What do you think, Ivy?" She turned to her baby and stroked her cheek with one hand, "Do you want to go down the slide with Mama?" Sleepily, Ivy cooed something, and Daizi couldn't resist scooping her up and away from Dark, "Oh baby, what a big fun day it's been for you, Hummingbird! We can go down the slide just once, huh habibti?"

Daizi lifted her head, and after thinking about it for a moment Dark said, "She would enjoy it, I think."
 
"Oh, I thought you were going to do that thing I've seen some parents do where they hold onto their kid from the side and guide them down," Alec said, demonstrating with his arms.

"Hold her and slide? Cool," Xander said, impressed. The idea wouldn't have occurred to him, though he didn't know why.
 
"Well I... guess I could have," Daizi commented, Alec's version of events not having occurred to her, "I just thought she'd like to be held."

"We should do it now before she totally falls asleep," Dark said, helping them both up and then leashing Enkidu, since he didn't love letting him off leash in public, despite how well-trained he was. Then he helped Daizi find a nice, easy slide, and she sat down on it, holding Ivy securely before pushing off and sliding down with her, admittedly using all of the known tricks to slow her descent. Even though she was close to sleep, Ivy still giggled softly from the sensation, and Dark waited at the bottom to help his wife back up.
 
Alec and Xander dutifully clapped and cheered with Alec being, admittedly, the more enthusiastic one. They then helped to pick up and pack everything up with Xander doing the final check to ensure they hadn't forgotten anything.

"That was awesome," Alec said, holding Ivy's hand lightly as they walked. "I can't wait to do this again!"

"Again, and again, and again," Xander agreed, checking his arms for any sign of sunburn.
 
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