Later that night, Daizi was lying in bed, waiting for Dark to come join her. He had been in their bathroom getting ready for bed, but taking longer than usual. Eventually, with a sigh, she got up and walking in after him she asked, "Goose? Are you coming to bed?"
"Yes," He replied, looking at his face in the mirror and turning his head to see it from various angles, "I just..."
"It'll grow back, Ghalib," She said, hugging him from behind and trying to pretend like there was no part of her who found his moping about it the tiniest bit annoying.
"I know," He said, wrapping his arms over hers.
"Then what's the matter?" She asked.
Sighing, he looked back at his reflection again and said, "I look older."
"You are older," She reminded him gently, "It's been almost two decades."
"It is still weird to see. I know I look older than I did when I grew it, but..." He shook his head softly, "I have not seen my own chin since I was in my early twenties. And I can see the lines on my forehead and around my eyes I did not have back then, so I should have expected... I got old, Tarot."
"You're only forty," Daizi chuckled, kissing him on the shoulder.
"It is nearly twice as old as I used to be," He pointed out, "and I do not like seeing my scar. I never have. People already assume the worst of me, and it is worse now that..."
Squeezing him tighter, Daizi said, "Hey, hey. Ghalib, listen... First of all, you're always young to me. And I'm aging there right there along with you. But there are only two people who have seen you without your beard who will see you before it grows back, and that's Cooger and yourself. Everyone else in our life... They met you when you were this age. And I'm certain you do not look any older to them without it than you do with it." Stretching upwards, she kissed his cheek, just like Ivy had earlier, "Don't worry about your scar. It's just another part of you, and people stare at us regardless. Now come to bed, you'll feel better in the morning when it starts growing back in."
Dark took a deep breath, held it, and released it slowly, "You are right. Thank you. I love you, Spider."
"I love you too, Goose," She told him, and led him back into their bed.
The next morning, as expected, he came downstairs with visible stubble. It was scraggly, and made him look more unkempt than usual, even though he had already started shaping up the eventual beard by shaving his neck and putting back in his cheek lines. It was an irritating amount of growth, to be sure, but relatable to anyone who really struggled with 5 o'clock shadows. Daizi hated it, admittedly, because it was scratchy, but there was nothing to be done. Ivy kept petting his face, curious about this new sensory experience.
At school that day, Milo, Alec, and Xander's homeroom teacher stepped to the front of the classroom and asked if anyone was excited for the end of the year, and after the milquetoast replies, gave a long talk about how they were all soon-to-be rising seniors and how this was a time of immense change and development. As a result, all juniors would be given an assignment to write about their plans for the next ten years and try to predict where they will be, and how they will achieve those goals.
"Ten years from now," She explained, "Your answers will be mailed to you, so make sure you include your email address so we can get your current physical address when the time comes! This isn't for a grade, but it is a very important part of your time here, because we're meant to be preparing you for the real world, right?"
