How Green Becomes Wood

"They sound beautiful," Daizi told him, kissing the top of his head, "Is it blue like your hair is? Or is it lighter? The ocean is a dark blue, but when Xander and I were parasailing, and we were up in the sky, I thought, this must be what light blue looks like."
 
"It's blue like my hair," Alec confirmed, warmth gripping his heart as her display of affection. It never got old. "How was parasailing? Is light blue amazing?"

Xander headed for the bathroom, still trailing sand.
 
"It was amazing," Daizi replied, releasing him and stretching, trying to listen for her husband and baby, "I really really loved it, and I wish we were able to be up there for longer. It was so much fun."

Dark opened up the door to his bedroom, their daughter now nice and clean, and he murmured to her, "Habibti, who is that? Is that your Mama?" and Ivy squealed excitedly, reaching out for her mom.
 
"Maybe you can buy longer trips at like a private thing," Alec suggested. He turned and smiled when he heard Ivy. "Somebody missed you! She was so confused by Baba's nails! He got awesome nails."
 
"Maybe... Or we just need to find another flying activity! A longer one!" Daizi turned with a bright grin at her daughter's voice, "Hello, Ivy! How is my sweet girl? Did you have fun with Baba and Alec?"

"She slept through it," Dark told her, passing Ivy over to Daizi, who covered her in kisses.

"What do your nails look like?"

"Black, but I have one blue tip on the ring finger of each hand, the same blue Alec has on his nails." Dark told her, "Ivy was very fascinated."

Taking her husband's hand in her own, she felt the smooth texture of his polished nails and said, "You and Alec did the reverse of each other, that is so sweet."

"Nearly," He nodded, "but mine do not have fish scales."
 
"No fish scales, but his look awesome anyway," Alec grinned.

"Alec!" Xander called from the bathroom. "Where'd you hide the aloe?"

Alec paused and frowned. "Where did I hide the aloe?" he muttered to himself. "Hang on, I'm coming! I could use some, myself!" He hurried to the bathroom to help Xander and himself.
 
"You know," Dark said coolly, elongating his words only slightly, leading Daizi to sit outside with him, "I saw you in the ice cream shop."

Feigning complete confusion and offense, Daizi responded, "You got ice cream? Without us?"

"So did you," He allowed himself a little grin, "I saw you there."

"Goose Mongoose Dark, I have never, in my life, ever snuck a treat without the rest of the family!" Daizi exclaimed, putting one hand over her heart, and when Ivy cooed, she nodded firecely and added, "Thank you, Ivy. She knows."

"Really?" Dark said, raising one eyebrow.

"Certainly not, and I resent the accusation!"

"Then what were you doing at the ice cream shop?"

"I was nowhere of the sort!" She scoffed.

"I saw you."

"Really?"

"I certainly did."

She whipped her face around again and invaded his personal space, "Then I ask you---what were you doing there?"

Matching her, he said, "Not sneaking away, unlike somebody." From inside the rental, if it wasn't for the small bursts of laughter occasionally fighting their way out, it might have sounded like a genuine argument.
 
Alec did think for just a moment that they were arguing. He froze, eyes widening. Were they arguing? He'd never heard them argue before! Then, just before the panic could set in, he heard the muffled laughter. Oh. They were fine. He edged closer to the window, listening, though he couldn't make out most of the individual words.

"Hey, Nancy Drew, instead of eavesdropping, you wanna help me out here?" Xander grumbled. He hated, hated, hated the smell of aloe, but it did make the sting of light sunburn feel better.

"Sorry," Alec said, and turned to help Xander apply the gel to the areas he couldn't reach. "Did you have fun at the ice cream shop?"

Xander snickered. "That was hilarious. Turn around, you got some on the back of your neck, too."

"How? My hair's longer than yours," Alec complained but did as Xander told him. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. More than I thought," Xander admitted.

"Good. And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we are building a world-class sandcastle!" Xander grinned.

"Excellent!!"
 
Outside, as they joked with each other, Daizi picked up a fistful of sand and threw it lightly at Dark's chest, and he looked down at himself, and asked, "Really? We are going there? Are we children?" but when she did it again, he stood up slowly, making enough noise to make it obvious to her that he had, "Well. You asked for this."

Daizi's eyes went wide, and she scurried to her feet. "Goose..."

"There is still nobody around," He told her, "and nothing to hit."

Another laugh escaped her, and she took a step back, "I'm holding your baby."

"I believe I had warned you."

After a heavy pause, Daizi turned on her heels and ran off. Because she was holding Ivy, she ran slower than she had the first time, but she shrieked with laughter and yelling, "I'm holding your baby! I've got your baby!" as she heard her husband hurrying after her. When she stopped when she ran into the water, and she knew there was nowhere left to go. Accepting her fate, she let Dark splash her with water before he lifted her up bridal-style (because of Ivy, had she not been holding her, he would have slung her over his shoulder) and brought her back to the rental's patio, chiding her all the way.
 
By the time Dark and Daizi got back to the patio, Xander and Alec were both waiting in the doorway, arms crossed, toes tapping. In that moment, they looked like actual identical twins. When they spoke, they sounded identical, too.

"Children, I think that's enough roughhousing," Alec said mildly.

"It's all fun and games until someone gets dropped," Xander agreed in the same mild tone.

"I think it's about time you act your age, children."

"Although you can be commended for taking it outside and not roughhousing in the house."
 
"I am guiltless, she ran, I pursued." Dark said simply, only agreeing to set his wife down for the sake of their baby, who looked like she had very, very much enjoyed that game.

"Don't listen to him! He's a brute!" Daizi cried, but nonetheless leaned against him as she caught her breath. "Do you know, Xander, he admitted he and Alec went out to ice cream! Without us?! And then he chased me down! While I held my baby!"
 
"Uh-huh," the twins said, unconvinced.

"Well, considering that we did the same, I think we must excuse him," Xander said.

"Although chasing a woman with her baby can hardly be considered guiltless, even if you do quote a very good movie," Alec replied.

Xander stepped aside and waved Dark and Daizi inside. "If you're done chasing each other around, I think it's probably time to get in out of the sun and drink some water."

Alec copied Xander's move. "Water is a must."
 
"I--" Daizi balked, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Okay but what you do not recognize is I only chased her after she threw sand at me twice," Dark pointed out to Alec, holding up one hand.

Daizi lifted Ivy above her head and grinned in spite of herself, "Do you hear them! They do not understand how innocent we both are, habibti! Tell them, No! Mama didn't do anything!" Ivy gurgled, so Daizi brought her in close and kissed her cheek, allowing herself to be ushered in, "You understand me, my darling Hummingbird girl!"

Following in after her, Dark plotted revenge as his wife, grinning and laughing, tried to make herself the poor victim. This was going to be fun.
 
The twins both heaved simultaneous deep sighs as they followed after Dark and Daizi.

"Stop using your daughter as a shield," Alec scolded.

"Or no ice cream for either of you," Xander warned.
 
Daizi pouted, pressing her cheek against Ivy's, "I am not using her as a shield. I am only saying, she understands me. And she knows the truth." Stroking Ivy's curly hair, she spoke directly to Ivy while Dark walked her to the couch, "Us ladies need to stick together, we're surrounded by boys" Despite saying thus, she sat down with one leg over Dark's lap, feeling satisfied.

"I think we should order in dinner tonight," Dark said, realizing now that he was seated, he had no desire to go back into town.
 
"I am a lady," Daizi sniffed, knowing she could've sat very pretty in her husband's lap completely, but she suspected that would be more uncomfortable for them. Anyway, it was hot.

"Yes, you are," Dark agreed, unsarcastically, subtly admiring her long legs. "I enjoy crab, we can order that. It is near enough to here I am unconcerned about it getting cold or going off."
 
"Then let's order crab!" Alec celebrated, throwing up his fists in celebration. "All the crab! I'll order it! I'll... where's my phone?"

"In the zipped front pocket of your shorts," Xander told him.

Alec patted his leg. "Oh, right, thank you."

Xander already had his phone out and was looking through restaurants that delivered and offered crab. He moved over to stand next to where Dark was sitting. "How about this one? Or... this one?"
 
Dark helped Xander pick, deciding on one which had crab legs but also nice appetizers and a broader menu. To Daizi's delight, they had lobster mac-n-cheese, because unlike the twins, she enjoyed lobster. They also had nice drinks that could be delivered, speciality lemonades, mocktails, and smoothies, which was always pleasant while away on vacation.

"I don't know what we'll do when we're back home," Daizi sighed as they ate, "This has been so nice. Who would've thought Virginia of all places would feel like somewhere nothing could go wrong?"
 
The twins both wanted mocktails, so they agreed to get two different flavors and share. Then they collapsed on the floor and waited while staring at the ceiling.

"I guess some people who live here, maybe?" Alec suggested.
 
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