How Green Becomes Wood

"Good idea," Daizi said, "Should we put the presents out now, do you think? It's your father, so he'll really just want to stay home."

"We could put out the gifts, sure," Xander agreed. "He can decide when he wants to open them. Alec and I will have to go get them. Want them in the living room?"

"No, put them either here or in the dining room," Daizi said, "Otherwise, Ivy will tear into them, they need to be out of her reach."

"Dining room it is," Xander agreed.

Alec poked his head into the kitchen, holding Ivy upside down. "Are you ready to take this little birdy back, Mama?"

"What? You don't want to play with her all morning?" Daizi grinned, while Ivy squealed and squirmed, very much amused by the position she had found herself in, "Well, I suppose I should take her to get dressed properly."

"Did you have enough breakfast?" Alec asked, swinging Ivy side to side before turning her back upright and blowing on her belly.

"I haven't had enough breakfast," Xander said, heading for the kitchen and food.

"I did, thank you. Unless the rest of you, I prefer lighter breakfasts anyway. And she," Ivy laughed without the slightest thought of trying to stay quiet, "already ate, twice. And is now doing her very best to wake her Baba!"

Alec grinned and whispered to Ivy, "We need to whisper laugh! Hahaha! Be quiet so Ba can sleep."

"Once she's dressed, we can take her outside for you," Xander offered.

"After we put gifts on the dining room table," Alec told him.

"Are we doing that? Yeah, after that."

Ivy watched Alec, seemed to understand he was being quiet, but utterly failed to whisper back.

"You might need to," Daizi chuckled, taking Ivy from Alec and giving her a big kiss on the cheek, "Yalla, Hummingbird! We have to get you dressed!"

While Ivy was off getting dressed and hopefully not waking her father, Xander and Alec carefully brought in seven presents. Five of these presents easily fit on the table in reasonably small packages, but one clearly heavy gift had to be set under the table with the pair of them questioning each other why they had gotten such a ridiculously heavy thing. They got it situated along with the colorful fabric bag covering it, and then waited for their mother to return, one of the gifts still in hand.

Coming back downstairs with Ivy dressed in purple overalls with a embroidered witch on the pocket worn over a horizontal striped shirt, Daizi said, "Once you take her out, I can go bring his presents from us two down, they're in my study." Ivy's hair was styled in two pigtails tied with ribbons, but despite her mother's best effort, they were not the same colour and did not match her outfit.

"Ivy, you look adorable," Alec told her, taking her from her mother and grinning. He didn't say anything about the hair ribbons, not wanting Daizi to feel bad, and, besides, it looked like something he would do on purpose!

"Ready to go outside and try to be very careful to not get dirty?" Xander asked mildly, following Alec out.

"It's not too muddy, she'll be alright," Daizi said, handing Ivy over, "You three go have fun!"

After they went upstairs, Daizi fetched the present from her and from Ivy, set them on the dining room table, and then snuck back into bed to snuggle with her sleeping bear of a husband, pleased her plan was working so well.

About an hour later, he began to stir in bed, making deep, grumbling noises as he tried to get his bearings. It was late, he thought? Unless he just slept uncommonly well, but that wasn't like him... but Daizi was still in bed with him, and he didn't hear Ivy on the monitor, so maybe? Then, when he reached for his phone, it wasn't there. Swearing under his breath, he began to sit up, expecting to find it fallen between the bed and the night stand again.

"Happy Father's Day, Goose," Daizi said cheerfully.

"What time is it?" He asked, his voice extra deep and gravelly.

"I don't know, our phones are downstairs so you could sleep in," She shrugged, "But you stay in bed, I'm going to make you coffee."

"...What?" He blinked, rubbing his eye and only half awake.

During that hour, the twins took turns entertaining Ivy while the other went inside to change. Xander didn't want to stay in his workout clothes all day, and while jammies were comfortable, Alec preferred to be in "real clothes" when out and about. They kept it quick and simple, and it was honestly fun playing with Ivy and exploring the garden with her.

"Stay in bed, Goose," Daizi said, kissing his cheek and taking a moment to run her fingers through his bed-hair. Her initial plan was to hop out of bed and go downstairs to make his coffee, but then her impulses took hold and she threw her arms around him to squeeze him as tightly as she could, "I love you so much. You're my favourite person, living or dead."

"I have been both," He said sleepily, "I love you too, Spider."

"I'm going to bite you," She informed him.

"No, do not!" He commanded, shifting away from her.

"I have to," Daizi grinned, "I am unable to not bite you. You're too cute."

"Do not!" He laughed as she nonetheless nibbled lightly on his shoulder. Although it would have been no effort at all to free himself and prevent it, he pretended to struggle as she gnawed on him. When she released him, he asked, "Are you satisfied?"

"Not really, you're still too cute," She said, squeezing him one last time before letting him go and going downstairs to finally actually make his coffee. On the way, she stuck her head outside to let her children know he was awake. Meanwhile, despite being ordered to stay in bed, Dark got up to brush his teeth and at least somewhat tame his hair.

Alec carried Ivy inside, taking his time and teasing her gently along the way. Xander opened the door for them and let them go in first before following. Both were eager to see their father, but they didn't react quite like Ivy did.

Upstairs, Dark was drying his face with a towel after washing it. As he did, he caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror. There were a few white hairs in his beard, which he always dutifully plucked out. Most had been there for awhile, but there might have been one or two newer ones. They were harder to spot in his hair, but he spent a bit of time checking. Leaning in towards the mirror, he examined the lines which had begun settling in the corners of his eyes and around his eyebrows. He ran his fingers through his beard to feel the scar he his beneath it. Then he felt the scars on his arms and thighs. Leaning back in towards the mirror, he once more looked closely at his face.

He still looked like his father, and that was strange. His father had died at, what, thirty-three? Thirty-four? Dark was 40 and stood wondering if when his hair was all white and his lines turned to wrinkles if he would still look in the mirror and be able to see his father's face in his own.

Stepping back to go into the cabinet for the remaining steps of his skincare routine, Dark had to acknowledge he may look like his father... But he looked good, and not just 'good for his age.' His shoulders were broad, his waist was not, and the squats paid off.

Styling his hair and beard, he looked at the reflection of the bathroom, admiring the little details: the crown molding, the clawfoot tub, the heated tile.

Walking back into his bedroom to get dressed, he could just barely hear the sound of his toddler squealing in delight and the voices of the rest of his family. They were all down there, waiting on him, wanting to celebrate his presence in their lives.

That, he thought, felt like victory. Yes, it felt like victory, and it made him smile as he buttoned up his shirt. It was still just a little smile, it did not show teeth and his beard obscured much of it, but he was a handsome man with a beautiful home and a family who loved him. As far as Dark could tell, he had won. That's why Daizi had named him Ghalib, he realized. She had told him as much at the time, but it seemed much clearer now.

"Goose," Daizi said when she heard him coming down the stairs, "I told you to stay in bed, I was going to bring your coffee up to you."

"I know, but I did not feel much like being patient."

"Morning, Ba!" Alec called, trotting over. "Happy Father's Day!"

"Ba's Day, or Baba's Day. I prefer Ba's. It's less clunky to say," Xander said, following calmly.

"Thank you," Dark said, holding out his arms to Ivy who immediately ran to him wanting to be hugged and picked up, "Sabah Al-Khair."

"Your coffee is almost ready," Daizi told him, "You should sit down, I'll have breakfast ready for you in just a moment, too."

"Can I hug him, too?" Alec asked Ivy with a grin as he stepped closer to Dark.

"Let the man sit down and drink his coffee," Xander said dryly. "Besides, he's too old to be carrying anything bigger than Ivy."