How Green Becomes Wood

Putting the pictures away and grabbing his coat, Dark said, "I know. But I had a question, and I would be too distracted at home to remember to ask. Also, I did not want to make you feel bad by seeing you and immediately wanting to go home to see others," he had a playful light in his eyes, "Come on, it is time to go. We have been in this building much too long."
 
Alec rolled up and out of his chair with a little spring, grinning. "I think that's totally fair! And I like your pictures."

Xander led the way, hands shoved into his pockets. "Yeah, but we've been here for like ten hours. I can't wait to get out of here."
 
"You could have taken the bus home before drama club," Dark pointed out, walking to his car. Very seldomly in his life did he seem excited, and even now he seemed more or less like himself, but there was a unique swiftness to his movements that betrayed how thrilled he was to get to go home and see his baby.

This time, he drove, and soon enough they pulled into their driveway, and he made it up the path and inside in a few long strides. Of course, Daizi met him at the door, with Ivy, and although he made a point of first kissing his wife hello and asking how she was, he quickly scooped up Ivy and showered her in tiny kisses, talking quickly to her his baby-voice.
 
"But I had drama club," Alec said, initially confused by Dark's comment.

Xander understood but didn't bother to answer. That wasn't an option. He followed Dark to the car, amused and slightly exasperated by his obvious eagerness to get home. They didn't talk much on the ride home as Alec scribbled notes about the drama club meeting. No roles were decided yet, and he was trying to decide what he would like to play. Likely, except for the lead four roles, several of them would be playing multiple roles. He wouldn't mind playing background characters, but he hoped for the Scarecrow.

When they arrived home, Alec and Xander both told Daizi and Ivy hello then moved on, heading up to their room to drop off their bags. Dark's eagerness to get to Ivy meant they didn't have a chance to do much more than a drive-by hello to either.
 
Daizi found it mostly amusing but also slightly irritating how Dark was definitely more interested in their daughter than he was in her, and then quickly felt a wave of guilt for feeling jealous of her own daughter. And, to be fair to him, she told herself, she'd do the exact same thing, and he did greet her first. And it was sweet how he doted over her--he had only just come home and he was already settling in on the armchair with her, telling her all about his day and saying how much he missed her.

She was glad he was home, too, and her doting on Ivy gave her a needed break. With a stretch and a yawn, she drifted upstairs and gently knocked on the twins' door, "Hey there," She said breezily, very much like how she was before the stress of a newborn took over her life, "How was school?"
 
"Weird," Alec stated as he sorted through his backpack. He wondered if he should tell her about Peter's announcement and glanced at Xander. Xander gave a slight shake of his head. Daizi was dealing with enough, and Sally would want to tell her. "There was just a lot of little things that happened," Alec said instead. "How was homelife with Ivy?"

Xander changed his shirt, pulling on a black tank top and sighing in relief. This was far more comfortable.
 
Taking a moment's pause to consider how her day had been, she ultimately told them, with a tiny laugh, "Weird. She's on the same schedule we had been putting her onto, except it felt different because it was just me doing all of it. I never did the dishes and the laundry is still in the washing machine." She hummed, resting against the wall rather than sitting down because she expected to be shooed away, "I know you both were going stircrazy here over winter break, but I miss when everyone was home. I liked being able to wander into a room and find one of my favourite people. I prefer it when you both are around."
 
"Aw, you're sweet," Alec cooed.

"If it makes you feel any better, your other half was pining the day away like a school girl suffering from her first crush," Xander told Daizi. "He couldn't wait to get home."

"He did like the picture you snuck into his lunch box," Alec informed her.
 
"If it were up to me, Cooger and all my favourite aunts and their husbands and children would all live with us in this old house. I love having family close-by." She sighed at the happy thought, tipping her head back against the wall, "I think he was pining for Ivy, not for me. Not that I can really blame him, I know I'll miss her too."
 
"That sounds really crowded but happy," Alec remarked.

"I think I'd get sick of it and want my space after a while," Xander agreed.

Neither chose to remark about how, yes, Daizi was pretty much correct that Dark had, indeed, mostly been pining for Ivy. Instead, they started to move to head downstairs, discussing food and dinner situations.
 
"It would be crowded," Daizi agreed, "and I would want space eventually, but at the same time, we would all have so much support." She hummed, following them out of the room. "I guess I should probably do the dishes now that I have a husband here to take care of our baby. I promised I would do it."
 
Xander led the way, and Alec followed him. As they walked, Alec turned to look back at Daizi. "Do you feel unsupported?" he asked worriedly. "Are you afraid you'll go crazy and do something regrettable? Like Shaken Baby? Should we take turns staying home from school?"

"Good grief, you go from zero to sixty in no time flat," Xander said, glancing over his shoulder at his brother in disbelief.
 
"No, no, nothing like that!" Daizi said quickly, putting her hand on Alec's shoulder, "I'm okay, really I'm okay, I'm not going to do anything to Ivy, I promise. Or to myself. We're both okay here." She took a breath to wait to see if he was still worked up, and then said, "I don't feel unsupported, either. I know Cooger is just a phonecall away on any day, and on the weekends I have so many friends to call, and Dark is there on weekends and evenings. Anyway today was the first day since she was born that I was alone." She squeezed his shoulder, "and Ivy was good today."
 
"Oh. Okay. Good," Alec said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I am glad." He glanced at Daizi. "Would you like some help with the laundry?"

"While you two do laundry, I guess I'll get started on dinner," Xander said, heading for the kitchen.
 
"I would love help with the laundry," She said, "we're drowning in laundry. You wouldn't think someone so little would dirty so many clothes, but I think she, Dark, and myself, go through half our closets each week."
 
Alec laughed and followed Daizi to help her. He did what sorting was needed and helped her load up the washer. He had gotten used to doing the laundry before, so it was easy enough to do.

Xander, meanwhile, felt like chicken. He took down the books and picked the quickest, easiest chicken recipe he could find. Then he settled into getting food onto the table.
 
Hearing the conversations, Dark walked into the kitchen, carrying Ivy in the sling because it was time to start mellowing her out for sleep, but not yet time to lay her in bed, "Do you need help, Xander?"
 
"Nope, I'm good," Xander said, scrounging through the fridge. Where did the chicken go? It had been in here just the other day. Where did it go? "You can hang with the mini."
 
"Are you sure?" He asked, "really she should be settling down, now, so just supporting her like this will be enough while we cook. I want you to have time just to yourself, you deserve that."
 
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