How Green Becomes Wood

"I think, knowing the little I know about Cats, even if you do not exactly like it, you will be entertained by it, and that'll be enough." Daizi replied, with a little shrug, "There are worse musicals to see. And quite a few you may actually enjoy."
 
Daizi considered this for a few moments, and then answered, "At a lot of theatres these days, the audience gives a standing ovation regardless of how good the show was. If the people in your section are standing, stand up and applaud with them. It's weirder if you don't. And don't make the mistake of trying to leave the moment the bows finished, you'll be caught in a sea of people. Wait for it to die down. I can't speak for the men's room, but trying to use the restroom during intermission can cause you to be late getting back into the theatre, so its better to avoid it if you can. And obviously, don't talk during the show. Some people like to whoop during big dance breaks, though."
 
"Got it. No bathroom breaks, stand with everyone else, get a certain someone to calm down and not whoop to much during the dancing," Xander nodded. "Thanks."

Alec came galloping down, then, dressed nicely in black pants and with a black jacket, but a sparkly, gold shirt underneath. He smiled and smoothed back his carefully groomed hair. "Ready!" He glanced briefly at Dark for his approval.

"Good thing, too, because I think I see her car coming down the road," Xander said, looking out the window.
 
"As long as it is not during the singing, it isn't too annoying, although I personally find it irritating," Daizi said, "You'll be fine. It's like going to the movies, the only difference is the actors can feel how you're responding to it, just like how you can feel your audience when you're performing."

Dark glanced outside at the car and waited until Ciara was coming up the steps to open the door for her, "Hello, Ciara. I hope the traffic was not bad."
 
"Hello, Mr. Dark," Ciara greeted him, staying on the porch. "It was lighter than usual, as it happens. How are you and the family?"

Behind Dark, Alec was hurriedly pulling on his shoes while Xander waited for him to stop hopping around and hogging all the space so he could put on his shoes. Alec turned back long enough to give Daizi a hug and tell her goodbye.
 
"We are well," Dark answered, lying easily. He didn't really want to explain that, oh, Xander had a break down, he punched Daizi, ran away from home, and then attacked him before confessing his biggest secret a day later. It was another great day to be unexpressive.

While he was making polite conversation, there was a little jingle making its way toward the sound of the open door, and Dark, holding the front door open with his foot, turned to scoop up Ivy before she had a chance to escape.
 
"Oh, she is quite mobile now," Ciara said, true surprise slipping through her polite facade. "And with bells?" She paused for just a moment before asking, "Is it to make her easier to locate?"

Xander said a quick goodbye to Daizi before joining Alec at the door where they waited for Dark and Ciara to finish making small talk.
 
"Yes, she is," Dark said, bouncing Ivy up onto her hip, "It has only been a few weeks, but she has taken quite naturally to it. Her doctor says it is a good sign she is catching up to other babies her age." He smiled at Ivy, catching her hand before she grabbed Ciara, then said, "Yes, the bell is so we do not lose her. And because if it stops ringing, we know she is likely trying to do something she should not be."

Ivy squeaked up at him and, having some recollection of Ciara, grinned at her as her father prevented her once more from grabbing at the woman.
 
"Hello, Ivy," Ciara greeted her. "It is good to see you. Are you ready, boys?"

"Yep! Bye, Ba! Bye, Mama! Bye, Ivy!" Alec called as he scampered out the door.

"Later," Xander told them and offered Ivy a fist bump as he passed.

"I shall text you when we are leaving the theater," Ciara promised. "Enjoy your evening."
 
"She remembers you," Dark said, noting how Ivy hadn't become with Ciara, "Thank you. Have a nice evening, I hope you enjoy the show."

Daizi came up to offer her goodbyes and wished them a safe drive, and then prepared for Ivy's breakdown as she watched her brother's leave, "Hummingbird, they will come home, I promise," She cooed, while she and Dark took her to a different room to distract her.
 
Alec and Ciara made a lot of small talk during the trip over to the town where Ciara lived, something Xander found a little awkward since he was the one sitting in the passenger seat and Alec was in the backseat, meaning Alec had to lean forward a lot, but Alec didn't mind. Ciara was actually pretty good at small talk when she was a touch more relaxed and had something to focus on. They talked about work - which Ciara kept understandably vague - and Alec told her about his new job, though he left out who it was he was working for. Ciara did raise her eyebrow at the fact that Alec had been hired on the spot, but she didn't say anything about it. She also did not have much to say on the subject of friends when Alec brought it up as subtly as he could. She did ask Xander a few questions, and Xander did try his best not to be completely vague or stereotyped teen with grunts and mumbles, but he didn't have a lot to tell her. Until they discussed Judo. It turned out Ciara was quite knowledgeable about many martial arts, though she did say she wasn't proficient when asked.

They arrived at the theater, waited in line for the doors to open, and then gradually made their way inside to their seats. The chairs were shockingly comfortable, and Alec feared he would fall asleep. Then the show started, and all thoughts of sleep vanished from his mind. He sat on the edge of his seat, watching eagerly. He'd seen a lot from the show online, but he'd never seen it live! Not even the recorded film version! This was amazing!

Xander hadn't been sure what to expect, but men and women in skin-tight outfits and looking a lot like cats was not it. As the musical continued, he had to admit that the singing was spot on, and they were remarkably talented dancers. It was all very... strange didn't begin to cover it, but it was the only word he could think of. What the heck was happening? Why were they all bouncing around and crawling? What was the story? What was the plot? What the heck was happening?

Ciara's thought process wasn't far from Xander's, though she was in a better position to appreciate the dancer's extreme talent as well as their musical abilities. It was... fascinating. Utterly bizarre, but fascinating. She couldn't figure out what the story was supposed to be, and some of the dance moves made her feel a little uncomfortable, but there was a lot of talent on the stage.

And then Rum Tum Tugger's song came on. All three of them suddenly became hot under the collar, though Alec was still whispering the words to the song as the dancer sang them. That was an extremely interesting song. And dance. And... everything about it. Ciara breathed a sigh of relief when it was over.

When Memories began to play, Xander - who hadn't been particularly engaged up until then - turned his full attention to the stage. He couldn't help it. Something about the actress' voice pulled at him, drawing him in deeper and deeper. The tragedy. The depths of her sorrow. It was so gripping! Gus the theater cat had been sad, too, but also a bit sweet and sappy. This had such depths to it.

The show continued, and finally it ended, relieving Ciara and Xander of the awkwardness and strangeness, and leaving Alec on an absolute high! They waited for the crush to thin while Alec chattered excitedly about the event while Xander and Ciara sat in silent shock. Finally, Ciara texted that they were heading home, and they began the drive home.
 
By the time the twins left with Ciara, it was already near to Ivy's bedtime. Really, they shouldn't have had her crawling around so late, but the desire to show off her new skills overwhelmed keeping her perfectly to her schedule. The look of surprise on Ciara's face was perfect. Typically, Daizi put her together on odd-numbered days, and Dark took the even days, but that night they handled it together, snuggled together in the big rocking chair, reading favourite stories and humming favourite lullabies until her little eyes closed. For some time after, they stayed there, Ivy sleeping in the crook of her father's arm and Daizi against the other side of him with one arm stretched across to feel her baby's heartbeat.

They only moved from that spot and lay Ivy down in her crib when Daizi realized if they didn't, she was going to fall asleep right there, and it felt like a waste of an evening more-or-less alone. Taking the baby monitor with them, Dark went outside to the side-porch, and Daizi joined him soon after with a small bottle of wine and chocolate-covered strawberries. They didn't have a lot of time, really, only the length of a musical, so there were many things they didn't have the time to do, but they had time for this.

Their more cynical son was not the only one who had told them they wouldn't make it. Saladin certainly never saw them lasting, some of Dark's coworkers had made a point of saying once the baby came, they wouldn't really be a couple anymore, just parents. Sometimes that did feel almost true. Even before Ivy was born, sometimes it felt true, with everything they needed to do for their sons. But it meant they needed to find time for each other when they could, if that meant slow dancing while their baby napped, or sharing strawberries while Alec and Xander were with their aunt. So they draped themselves almost hedonistically over each other on one of the lounge chairs on the porch with music playing softly in the back and the baby monitor on a side table. As the scent of night-blooming jasmine drifted over the mild summer breeze, Dark told Daizi about what stars he could see, and she listened to every word, one ear over the steady drum of his heart. She told him stories to make him laugh and he admired the way her hair fell like water over her shoulder.

When they fell into warm silence, neither felt much of an urge to break it. There wasn't anything to be said that wasn't already felt, so Dark traced one finger along his wife's jaw and tipped her face towards him by the chin, kissing her as if it was the only thing he was on this good earth to do.

"Goose," She breathed when they separated, but their faces were still near to one another's, "I know what I want to name you."

"Really?" He asked, surprised at how that revelation didn't stir him out of this peace, but glad it didn't. This was all he wanted.

She nodded, draping her arms around his neck, "Yes. I'm certain. And if you don't like it, I have options, but... I think it's yours. The one you've always deserved to have."

At the feel of his hand at her lower back, she inhaled softly, and he asked, "Well? What is it?" Daizi stretched up to whisper it in his ear, and he shut his eyes at the words. After asking for this, Dark felt no small level of anxiety about his request. What if it didn't help? If it hurt? If he regretted it?

Those anxieties were gone.

"What do you think?"

"Spider," He tucked her hair back, "Tell me it again. I want to hear you call my name again."

"Really?"

He tried to find the words to express everything in his mind and heart, but all he could land on was, "Daizi... It is so much more than anything I could have dreamed for."

After whispering it back to him, she enveloped him in her embrace, and they did not remember anything but each other until Dark's phone beeped and brought them back down. Their kids would be home soon, so they cleaned up the empty container of strawberries, the bottle, and their glasses of wine, picked up the baby monitor, and went back inside to wait to hear all about what Xander and Alec thought about Cats.
 
Even though the drive back was actually just a little quicker thanks to less traffic, it felt a lot longer. Alec happily filled in the silence as Xander and Ciara sat in shock. Ciara managed a few polite murmurs to show an appearance of listening to him. She kind of was, but not really. There was a lot to take in. Xander just sat trying to decide if he'd enjoyed himself or if he wanted to sanitize his eyes.

Finally, they reached home. Ciara declined the invitation to come inside, stating how late it was, and Alec accepted. He thanked her sincerely for taking them, and so did Xander once gently prompted to. Then they got out of her car and let themselves inside.

"We're home!" Alec called, keeping his voice somewhat lower for Ivy's sake. He and Xander took off their shoes, touched the salt, and started making their way to the living room, expecting to see their parents there.
 
They were in the living room, closely snuggled as they tried to transition from a uniquely intimate evening to just being happy parents waiting for their kids to be home, but at Alec's voice, they both turned towards the sound, and Daizi found it within her to say, sounding mostly normal, "Welcome home! Did you have a good time?"
 
"I had the best time ever!" Alec crowed, half running in to see them. "It was so amazing!" He twirled around once. "The dancing, the singing, everything was so alive! So vibrant! So personal!"

Xander stood off to the side, staring at nothing in particular.
 
Alec laughed and spun around a couple more times before collapsing down onto the floor to sit at Daizi's feet. He put his head in her lap, still giggling. "This was an awesome night!" He glanced toward Xander. "I think Aunt Ciara liked it some, but she and Xander are both in shock."

Xander glanced over. "I've... seen things," he said hoarsely.
 
Daizi couldn't help but laugh with Alec and she stroked his hair, "I'm sure it wasn't quite what they expected, but theatre can be like that."

"It could be worse," Dark mused, twisting some of his beard as he thought, "You could have been taken to see Starlight Express. Or Hair."

Now Daizi laughed for a different reason, "Had Ciara taken them to see Hair, I'm not sure she and Xander would've have combusted in the theatre."
 
Xander drew himself up and dragged out his words dramatically. "I... am never going to the theater again."

Alec snickered. "You'll get over it. If Aunt Ciara could sit through Rum Tum Tugger in all her propriety, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Ugh," Xander shuddered. "I could see the dude's... Everything!"

"I bet he had a cup or something on underneath," Alec told him, trying not to laugh.
 
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